The Key
by sparkles make me smile
Summary: Jack's daughter is in danger, and nobody knows how to help her. The bigger mystery is who is his daughter and where did she come from? NEW! Chapter 29 posted! SJ
1. 3 AM

My first story! Title still undetermined, sorry! Ithink I need a disclaimer, so here goes, only the story and original characters are mine the rest I'm just borrowing :) 

A blood curdling scream filled the dark house. Jack was instantly awoken and jumped out of bed, running for Haley's room. She was thrashing around hysterically. "Let me go! Help! Please, help… help!" Jack shook her awake.

"Hales, it's okay, I'm here."

"Don't let them take me, don't let them…" she whimpered and Jack pulled her into his arms. She slowly recognized her surroundings and started to sob. "Dad, they were trying to take me away again-"

"Nobody is taking you away. You're home, and you're safe. I'm here, I would never let anything happen to you," he assured her. Jack tried to soothe her for a few minutes before she finally stopped crying.

"It was so intense, like it could be real. I can't begin to explain it," Haley moaned. Jack sighed and pressed his palm against his face.

"Sweetie, it's three am. You don't have to explain anything right now. Do you think you can _try_ to fall back to sleep? I promise everything is safe and sound, I'm in the next room."

Haley pulled her covers up around her and shuddered. This was the sixth time since the fire that she had experienced this nightmare, and each time it seemed to be more and more extreme. It was only a week since she had her last nightmare; they were coming closer together. Her father had tried to be supportive, but he was groggy and sometimes grouchy in the middle of the night, and couldn't fully understand what she was going through. He would sometimes grumble to himself something about having to deal with this way back with Daniel on overnight missions and he did not miss it. Haley welcomed the chance to talk about Daniel, but this Jack kept to himself.

"What if I fall back to sleep and the dream starts up again?"

"I doubt that. Before you know it the alarm clock will start blaring and I'll have to come in and dump water on your head to get you up and we'll start our wonderful days. We'll have some fruit loops and before I know it I'll be late for work and have to speed to get you to school on time, and Hammond will lecture me about punctuality. Ughhhh Haley, PLEASE don't make me get a lecture, PLEASE!" Jack clasped his hands and pleaded with his daughter. She giggled, and he knew his job was done.

"Fine Daddy, I will let you go get your beauty sleep, looking at your hair right now, I think you need it-"

"Hey!"

"and I'll _try_ to fall asleep, but I'm NOT making any promises!"

"Good! I'm going to bed then. I'll see you at 630 hours, goodnight." Jack stood up and walked to the door, but stopped when Haley called out his name.

"Can I drive to school tomorrow?" she gave him an angelic smile.

"I value my life, so… no." With that Jack turned and left the room.

"How about a 'we'll see'?" she called.

"NOPE! Goodnight."

Haley sighed, and rolled over. She'd work on him in the morning. "Goodnight, I love you!"

"Love you too."

xxxxx

Jack was puttering around in the kitchen when Haley drowsily shuffled in. Her dark brown eyes looked glazed over. "Good morning sunshine," he smiled as he pushed a bowl of cereal in front of her.

"Thanks. How are you so wide" yawn "awake?"

"Coffee!" Jack gave Haley a huge grin as she contemplated letting her face fall into her fruit loops.

"I think coffee is vile."

"I hated coffee when I was fifteen too. It'll grow on you during college, after a few all-nighters and hangovers- which I never had to experience but I have heard…" Jack smirked as he took a sip from his mug. "Finish up, we have to get going. I'll be on-world all day so I want you to go straight to the base after school." Because of all the time Jack spent off-world and the fact that he was in good favor with the president, Haley had been granted security clearance to the SGC. It had taken a lot of convincing, but Jack had reminded the president that he wouldn't be so available to save the world time after time if he had to be home watching after his child. So everyday after school Haley would go to the base and usually do her homework, and wait for Jack to come back so they could go home. When Jack was held up off-world Haley would stay at the base, and Jack wouldn't have to worry about her.

This was more so a concern of his of late. The fire had made him nervous about leaving her alone, but what bothered him more was the fact that his fifteen year old daughter had the house all to herself for hours on end. She had a boyfriend, and being fifteen once (a very long time ago he mused) Jack knew that it would be best if he kept Haley locked up. Okay maybe not locked up, oh he had certainly tried, but somehow Carter had changed his mind. She related to Haley pretty well, being raised an air force child herself. But what did Carter know about being a fifteen year old girl? She was probably doing some kind of astrophysics stuff at fifteen. Hell, she was probably doing that kind of stuff in diapers, Jack mused.


	2. we can always discuss this further

Sam hurried through the parking lot, cursing to herself. Of course on the one day she sleeps in a little bit every single traffic light is red. Not to mention the detour on main street, she sighed. She broke into a sprint when the elevator doors, not five feet away started to close. It would be at least a good five minutes until it was back at the surface again. A hand stopped the door from the inside. 

"Carter! Good morning!"

"Sir!" Sam held back a grin, "thank you."

"Running a bit late today Major?" Sam breathlessly rambled on about her morning obstacles. This elevator ride was Jack's favorite part of the day. Usually he and Carter arrived at the same time and rode the twenty-some odd floors down to the SGC, but today she didn't show up. After waiting a good ten minutes Jack figured that she had either arrived really early or possibly never left the night before (which wouldn't surprise him) and gave up. He barely spotted Carter running for the elevator before he threw his arm against the door.

"…so I'm off to a bit of a crazy start I guess." Carter finished. "Hopefully things will calm down from here, but the probability of that is slim to none."

"It's Thursday, Carter. I've ordered the day to be peaceful."

"Pizza night Colonel?"

"Absolutely. The day's barely started and I'm already counting down to the end. It's 830 hours now; we actually get out on time… about ten hours? Almost there!" Jack clapped his hands together, making Carter giggle.

"Does Haley get as excited for these pizza nights as you do?" Sam wondered.

"Are you kidding me? If she could the kid would live on that stuff. Not that I haven't thought of it from time to time."

"So how has she been doing?" SG1 had been close to Haley, much like aunts and uncles to her, but Haley had been clinging onto Sam a lot lately. Jack figured she liked having a mother figure and welcomed the chance to have Carter spend time with them.

"Eh, she's still having a bit of a rough time. Last night she had another nightmare. I feel so helpless for her sometimes."

"I'm sure knowing you're there makes all the difference, Sir." Carter gave Jack a pat on the arm, and their eyes met. Each felt tiny shivers down their spines (not that they'd ever admit to it) and shared a smile. Jack awkwardly looked down at his shoes, searching for the perfect response when he was saved by the elevator doors opening. The pair walked quietly down the corridors until Jack finally broke the silence.

"So what's this debriefing for again?"

"Daniel is going to be talking about the relation between the culture of P2X418 and Ancient Greece."

Jack groaned and came to a stop. "Wonderful! Do I have time to run and grab my yoyo?"

"No Sir, we're already late."

"But Carter this could take HOURS."

"Colonel, it won't be that bad, come on." Sam waved her hand for him to follow as she picked up her pace. "We're really late right now!"

Jack sighed, frustrated with the fact that he was the one taking orders from his 2IC. When they stepped into the briefing room, sure enough Daniel, Teal'c, and General Hammond were all waiting. Both mumbled apologies and sat down. Daniel seemed to be buzzing with energy, which made Jack nervous. He wondered if Frasier had finally agreed to put coffee into an IV.

As Daniel told myths, presented pictures, and basically just talked to no end, Jack surveyed the room. Across from him Teal'c stoically sat perfectly upright, almost like a statue. After a while Jack realized that Teal'c blinked every forty-five seconds. He wouldn't be too surprised if the Jaffa was in the middle of kel-nor-em right now. He'd have a few questions, like how Teal'c knew to raise an eyebrow or nod every now and then, but seriously, not shocked.

General Hammond took notes as Daniel spoke, what Jack wouldn't give for a notepad to doodle on. Nah he'd be caught. _By who? Carter? Yeah, but she wouldn't rat you out!_ Jack contemplated this, and eventually decided to hold out on asking for a notepad until he got really desperate. Carter sat next to Jack looking deeply interested in everything Daniel was saying. Jack was pretty sure it was an act; she wasn't too interested on mythology stuff either. Carter was probably figuring out some crazy scientific formula in her head right now.

Sam felt Jack's eyes on her and gave him a slight smile. She figured he was onto her, and knew that she wasn't paying attention to Daniel either. At least she wasn't as blatantly obvious as he was, twiddling his fingers and playing with the hem of his sleeves. Jack leaned back in his chair and gave Sam an _I'm onto you_ look. She responded with an even bigger smile. This time General Hammond glanced in their direction and rolled his eyes a little. Daniel continued to lecture.

"Dr. Jackson, how about we take a short coffee break?" the General suggested.

Daniel was startled by the interruption. "Uh, sure Sir… That sounds fine…" Daniel put down his papers and stood up.

"Ah, yes!" Jack cried out, drawing dirty looks from Hammond and Daniel. "I ah, was very thirsty, that's all… I'm still very much looking forward to the rest of your discussion on the Greeks and… stuff… afterwards!" Daniel shook his head as he poured himself a cup of coffee. "Do you really think you need more of that stuff, buddy?" Jack asked.

"Oh it doesn't affect me that much."

"I disagree DanielJackson," Teal'c voiced, drawing everyone's attention. "You have not stood still once since your arrival this morning." Sam stifled a laugh as Daniel frowned.

"General, do I have time to run to my office?" Jack questioned.

"Quickly Colonel, we'll start up again in a few minutes." General Hammond looked at his watch. "Five minutes." _Oh gosh, he's getting his yoyo_, Sam sighed. Everyone quietly sipped their coffee while waiting for Jack's return and Daniel sorted through his notes.

"You seem to be really interested in this Sam," Daniel falsely noted. "Is there anything you'd like me to explain in extra detail? We could always get together and discuss this further."

"Oh, that's alright Daniel, but I really do appreciate that. I'm curious what Teal'c has to say." Teal'c raised an eyebrow towards Sam. She felt guilty, but was anxious to get Daniel off her back.

"I have no questions for DanielJackson, MajorCarter. Perhaps GeneralHammond has some concerns?" Teal'c passed the torch on. Hammond looked like a deer caught in the headlights as he froze with his mug just touching his lips.

"Yes, yes, I would like to hear more before I voice any of my opinions on this matter, but thank you very much for your thoughtfulness Teal'c." He would find a way to make the Jaffa pay later. At that moment Jack burst into the room, looking somewhat winded.

"I'm back!"

"Thank you for the announcement Colonel. Shall we proceed, Dr. Jackson?" General Hammond called the room into order.

P I "Okay let's see? Where did I leave off? Ah, yes, P2C939..." Daniel started showing footage of a temple as Jack quietly played with his yoyo under the table. He was pretty discreet for the first hour, but by hour two he started getting into it, drawing attention. Just as Jack was attempting to walk the dog Daniel walked over to him and looked down, like a disappointed teacher. "Are you really _that_ bored by all of this Jack?"

"I'm sorry Daniel, but YES!"

"This is our history we're learning about Jack."

"Exactly, it's in the past! What good is it now? This is the _present_. Shouldn't we spending our time trying to find ways to fight the Goauld?"

"We're learning from the past! If these places are connected then we are learning about the Goauld in the process! This is monumental stuff Jack!" Daniel started getting irritated and was waving his hands in the air. Sam and Teal'c quietly watched on.

"And I suppose we're learning about how to, say, take out the system lords by reading a MYTH?" Jack was starting to raise his voice, and it was clear that both tempers were starting to run high.

Daniel threw up his arms again, "I cannot believe-"

"Gentlemen!" General Hammond interrupted. "I think it's time you two cool down. It's lunchtime anyways, you have an hour."

"Thank you Sir," Sam said. She, Teal'c, and Jack stood up, and headed towards the mess hall. Daniel stayed behind to clean up his papers.

"Don't let Colonel O'Neill get to you, Dr. Jackson," Hammond tried to console the archeologist.

"Oh I know. He just is very good at pushing my buttons!" Daniel laughed. "I should just let him play with his toys. Why let him ruin it for the rest of you?" With that Daniel headed for his office, leaving an amused General.

xxxxx

"I don't know, Sir, I think you can be a little hard on Daniel." Sam told Jack.

"Me? Oh come on, listen to him sometimes and tell me he _doesn't_ ask for it?" Jack backfired.

"Ask for what O'Neill?" Teal'c questioned.

"Oh for crying out loud!" Jack gave a giant dramatic sigh and poked at his jello. Sam stifled a laugh. "No giggling Major."

"I'm going to try to get some work done in my lab before we finish our meeting. I'll see you guys in a little bit." Sam picked up her tray and left the table.

"And then there were two…" Jack said.

"O'Neill, ask for what?" Teal'c repeated.


	3. The trouble with cosine

After what felt like hours for everyone but Daniel (who swore his presentation flew by) the meeting was over. General Hammond dismissed everybody and returned to his office to catch up on paper work for the day. Teal'c announced he would be in his quarters doing Kel-Nor-Em until he was needed. Sam, as usual, had work to do in her lab. That left Jack to follow and distract her. There must be some new doohickey he could play with while she toiled away. 

"Colonel, don't break that. I'm going to need that piece soon," Sam scolded as Jack tapped together two long metal rods like drumsticks.

"What's it for?" Just as Carter was opening her mouth to explain, there was a knock at the door.

"Come in!" Sam called. A young girl of about 5'4" stepped into the office. Her bright pink tee shirt and blue jeans stood out next to the SF behind her.

"Hi Sam! Daddy! I figured you'd be here," Haley gave her father a hug and then gave Sam an even bigger one.

"How was school today sweetie?" Jack asked. Sam smiled; she enjoyed seeing the concerned father side of her colonel. It was rare, and very cute.

"Thrilling. Because, you know, I'm so going to need to understand how to get the value of X in the real world one day," Haley complained. She definitely has her father's sarcasm, Sam noted.

"Hey, I use mathematics on a daily basis!" Sam told her.

"Yes Hales, you can be a rocket scientist like Carter!" Jack laughed at the idea, but it would truly make him beyond proud if his daughter ended up anything like Sam.

"Well the way I'm doing in math, I highly doubt that dream coming true for you… oh never mind!" Haley's face went red when she realized what she had said.

"Oh no. I'm guessing you got your test back today?" Jack started to get worried.

"Daddy, I think, I need to talk to Sam right now, you know, about girl stuff-"

"Girl stuff?" Jack hated that term. Girls were far too complex for him sometimes, and he welcomed the chance to let Haley discuss it with a real female.

"Yes, girl stuff."

"Fine, you put me off this time, I'm going to get my stuff ready to go home. But when I get back we're talking about this test." Jack stood his ground. She was strong, but he was stronger.

"Okay, I promise!" Haley grinned as Jack left the room shaking his head. Sam couldn't help but chuckle at how easily this girl had him manipulated. She was very much like him, down to the mischievous glint in her (or should she say _his_) eyes and the easy smile.

"So what's really going on with you?" Sam wondered.

"Okay there is a slight possibility of me flunking pre-calc. It just doesn't make sense for me! And it doesn't help that my teacher totally sucks, and I think she hates me and it's like such a mess and-"

"Haley!" Sam cut in.

"Yes?"

"Do you want me to help you?"

"Oh that would be so wonderful Sam! You really wouldn't mind?"

"Of course not! I'd be more than happy to help. When would you like to get together?"

"Are you free tonight after work?" Sam opened her mouth to respond, but Haley started talking again. "It's just that I finished all my homework already so I'll have all this free time, it would be perfect. Well, that is if you're free."

"I am, but, Haley… are you sure your dad won't mind?" Sam didn't want to intrude on their pizza night.

Haley let out a giant laugh. "No! Okay then it's settled, you'll come over when you're done with work. Yes! This is so great, I'm so happy Sam. So happy! Thank you thank you thank you!" Haley squealed as she ran towards the door. As she opened it she jumped back when she saw her father reaching for the door at the same time on the other side. "Ooh, you startled me Daddy! Do we have time for me to run and see Daniel?"

"Oh you've got to be… oh fine, five minutes. You've got five minutes." Jack could barely finish before Haley was down the corridors. "So what kind of trouble is she up to now?" Jack asked.

"Well Colonel you'll have a guest tonight."

"Oh for crying out- she's inviting Daniel?" Jack rolled his eyes.

"No, me Sir. I'm helping Haley with her math," Sam corrected.

"Ahhh, good! You don't mind?"

"Of course not, calculus may as well be addition and subtraction for me."

"Oh that's right, you're really smart. Well anyways, thank you. Man, she must be doing pretty badly if she's actually willing to ask for help. That girl is proud sometimes, no clue where she would get that from." Jack held his chin up, his hands clasped behind his back, and rocked back and forth on his heels.

"Oh I have no idea," Sam looked up from the device she was working on to give Jack a smile that he liked to think was reserved just for him.

"I better get Haley before she drools on one of Daniel's artifacts. I'll see you in a little bit." Jack picked up Haley's backpack and went off to save Daniel. As soon as he was out of sight Sam left her office to quickly head home and clean herself up a bit. She was counting on Haley to inadvertently stall Jack for her so she could sneak out.

xxxxx

"Daniel, that really is so neat. You should like speak at my school or something. That would be so cool!" Haley gushed.

"You think so? I would love to Hale. Unfortunately most of this stuff is classified; I probably shouldn't be telling you all of it. Well could be considered mythology, so I don't know…" Daniel pondered.

"I think those kids already nap too much during school." Jack stood in Daniel's doorway with his arms folded.

"Thanks for the overwhelming support Jack."

"No problemo Danny-boy. Haley, ready to get out of here?"

"Yup!" she turned towards Daniel, giving him a slight pout. "I feel like I never get to see you Daniel!"

"Well you can stop in again tomorrow after school," he suggested.

"Yeah, but I feel bad interrupting your work!"

"Hasn't stopped you in the past," Jack quipped.

"Daddy, shhh!" Haley sniped. "Why don't you come over Saturday? My dad's teaching Teal'c how to barbeque. It'll be a LOT of fun!"

"Oh, I wouldn't want to intrude," Daniel said.

"Nah, don't be silly. We'd love to have you," Jack told him.

"You sure?"

"Yeah sure, you betcha! Okay now we really have to go Hales. See you tomorrow Daniel."

"Bye!" Haley waved and grabbed her jacket. She was trying very hard to play it cool. She could freak out later. Now tonight needed to be perfectly executed, and that took the front burner right now.

Both Jack and Haley were very quiet in the car ride home. Jack broke the silence. "So tell me about the math test."

"Well, I really didn't do well at all, but I totally took the initiative and asked Sam for help, and so hopefully I'll do much better next time, right?" Haley managed to say all of that without taking a breath, a skill that always left Jack bewildered.

"Well you can't get a better tutor than Carter! God knows I can't help you."

"Why do you always do that?"

"What? Make myself seem not as smart as I am? I truly am not that great with math, hence your issues-"

"No, say Carter. She has a first name. It's Sam. You don't refer to Daniel as Jackson or Teal'c as… what is Teal'c's last name?"

"He's like Cher." Haley collapsed into giggles. When she calmed down she slapped the dashboard.

"You're changing the subject. Can't you just say Sam? I know I would get annoyed if people always called me O'Neill. I'm not a boy! She's not a boy!"

"Really? I hadn't noticed."

"Come on! I'm serious!" Haley whined.

"As her commanding officer it's unprofessional."

"Maybe while you're working, but it's not like you're always on duty."

_The kid makes a good point_, Jack noticed. "Fine, when I'm off duty I will make a conscious effort to use Car- Sam's name."

"Thank you!"

"I feel like I'm living with a general at home," Jack grumbled.

xxxxx

Jack was trying to straighten up the house when the doorbell rang. He stopped at the mirror quickly to examine himself. He had on a pair of jeans and a flannel shirt- his usual after work uniform. _You look decent Jack_, he thought. Jack took a breath and opened the door. Sam was in jeans and a light blue sweater. Jack's lips immediately formed a smile, "Sam." The word felt special when he said it. "Hi."

She seemed a little taken aback. "Uh, hi…Sir," Sam looked at her feet.

"Eh eh eh, apparently there's a different set of regulations here. It's Jack, and if we get caught, oh man are the consequences worse than a court martial. You DO NOT want to see this one mad!"

"Rules are rules. Jack," Sam smirked a little bit as she stepped in. "So where's my pupil?"

"In the kitchen," Jack motioned for her to follow. "Help yourself to a drink, but no filling up. I'm going to run out and pick up the pizzas now. You ladies try and stay out of trouble while I'm gone."

"We will," Sam and Haley said at once, which frightened him even more. Sam sat down next to Haley at the table.

"And don't let her trick you into doing her homework! She's a criminal mastermind!"

"Okay where should we begin?"

"Well I've been having trouble with sine and cosine…"

xxxxx

Jack returned a half hour later with the food. Quietly, he stood in the doorway of the kitchen watching Sam and Haley go over a worksheet. Sights like this he could get used to. It didn't take too long for the smell of the pizza to alert Haley, who jumped out of her seat. "YES, I'm starved!" She took a plate out and grabbed a slice of pizza.

"In case you haven't noticed, I only feed this monster once a week," Jack informed Sam. "Hey, we have a guest; you could serve everybody else, too."

"Shry" came out of Haley's stuffed mouth.

Jack served Sam and walked over to the fridge. "Beer?"

"Sure, thank you," Sam graciously took the drink from his hand.

"I'll have one too," Haley reached out her hand which Jack put a soda in.

"I don't think so kid. Few more years."

" Erin's parents let her drink with them because they say they'd rather have her do it in the safety of their own household," Haley argued.

"Well first of all you're not going _there_ anymore. Secondly I don't need a drunken Haley running around the house. You're scary enough already!"

"Hey!"

"At the risk of sounding like Janet," Sam offered, "your liver isn't fully developed until you're about twenty."

"Yes, what she said," Jack motioned towards Carter with a Vanna White gesture. "Do you really want to screw that up now and ruin it for when you're old enough to _legally_ drink?"

"True true. I was just pushing you though," Haley grinned. Sam studied her face, and then Jack's. It was as if Haley was a female copy of him. She would really love to have seen a picture of her mother to see if there were any qualities from that side. _The colonel has really strong genes_ Sam mused. "What is it Sam?"

Sam looked a little startled that she had been caught staring at the pair. "Oh it's nothing; I was just thinking how much you and your father look alike."

"Aw, Carter don't say that, you're insulting my daughter!"

"No Sir, it was a compliment completely!"

"He's joking _Sam_. That sir thing is a little creepy at the dinner table, by the way."

"She does look like me, doesn't she?" Jack proudly beamed. He reached across the table and touched Haley's cheek. "It's the eyes, definitely in the eyes."

"I couldn't agree more," Sam replied, trying not to sound too gushy, as much as she would've loved to break down all the tiny characteristics she had for so long studied in his face. The three quietly ate for a few minutes.

"Oh, we're late!" Jack groaned.

"Late?" Sam asked. "For what?"

"Come on troops, move into the living room, you can bring your food." Jack put his food on the coffee table and bounced back onto the couch, grabbing the remote. "Ah, the opening credits are just ending." Sam and Haley sat down on either side of him. "When this is over you're getting back to work Hales," Jack reminded. _The Simpsons_ was a daily ritual for Jack, when he was actually home in time to watch it. He had tried figuring out his VCR timer to tape it automatically when he was off-world, but it never worked properly. He was considering investing in a DVD player and just buying the boxed set of episodes. Tonight was one of Jack's favorite episodes, when Bart and Grandpa Simpson create an army to get even with Nelson, the bully. When it was over Haley and Sam headed back to the kitchen to do some more math problems, and Jack checked out the sports scores.

"I think we're done here," Jack overheard Sam tell Haley. He entered the kitchen to offer some dessert.

"I smell smoke," he said just as the detectors started to go off. Haley nearly jumped out of her seat. Jack followed the source of the smoke to the oven. In it, the box of pizza he had been keeping warm in there had caught on fire. Haley let out a scream, and grabbed onto Sam's arm. "Open the windows," Jack instructed as he threw the box into the sink. The room filled with smoke, but quickly aired out as Sam went around the room opening the windows. Haley was curled up in her chair, on the verge of tears. Sam enveloped her in a hug while Jack brought the charred box outside. When he returned, Haley had calmed down a little, but still had her head buried in Sam's shoulder. "Let's go in the other room so we can talk," Jack suggested as she coughed from the smoke. Haley and Jack sat down on the couch, and Sam stood next to them, Haley still holding onto her hand.

"I guess I overreacted a little," Haley sniffed. "It's just that it brought back such strong memories of the fire."

"Hales It's okay, I understand. I'm just worried about you, that's all. I remember once we thought we had lost Daniel in a volcanic explosion. Every time I saw certain things, say for instance the bubbles in a beer, I would go a little nuts." Sam nodded, remembering how horrible that time was. "Luckily, that never actually happened, but the post traumatic stuff was still there. I think that's just what you're dealing with right now. It's completely reasonable."

The fire had been pretty bad. It was about two and a half months ago. Haley had fallen asleep with a candle burning, and it caught on her drapes. The entire room had gone up in flames; Jack had barely gotten Haley out. Her entire room was destroyed. Fortunately, the rest of the house had been left in pretty good shape because the fire didn't get a chance to spread past the bedroom. Jack and Haley had stayed on the base for two weeks while he had managed to find a contractor who was able to finish the room at record speed. They had been back to their normal routine for well over a month now. It was a good thing Jack was paid so well (saving the world repeatedly had some perks), he had to buy Haley new furniture and a brand new wardrobe. Basically everything that she ever had was destroyed. It was like she never existed.

"Thanks Daddy. I think I'm going to go outside and get some fresh air for a few minutes. I need to call Tommy quickly too."

"I guess I'd better get going-" Sam started to say.

"No!" Haley cried, "Please stay here a little longer Sam. Please stay with us." Sam looked questioningly towards Jack. He nodded.

"Alright, if your dad doesn't mind my company!"

"It should be the other way around Ca- Sam."

"Good! I'll be back in a few minutes." Haley gave Sam a hug and ran out of the room.

Jack stood up and headed towards the kitchen. "Would you like another beer?"

"No thanks, I still have to drive home."

"Who are you? Daniel?"

"Hey! I'm just being responsible; I assure you that I can drink with the best of them," Sam fought. Jack disappeared into the kitchen and returned with a beer and a bottle of water. Sam had taken a seat on the sofa.

"I'll hold you to that one day. Then we'll see about that," Jack took a swig of beer. "That reminds me, I'm teaching Teal'c how to barbeque on Saturday. Daniel's coming over, you should too. Are you free?"

Sam was about to immediately respond, but didn't want to look like she had no life. "Let's see, this Saturday?"

"Do you have plans?" Jack felt a pang of disappointment.

"No, _this_ Saturday I believe I'm free," Sam said coolly.

"Good. Haley will be happy too." _TOO Jack? Can you sound any more pathetic?_ "I really appreciate you helping Haley out- not just with the math. You've really been there for her, and I think sometimes she knows that I don't have a clue what I'm doing and needs somebody smart in her life."

Sam felt flushed and didn't know what to say. "You really don't have to thank me…"

"I haven't yet, but I do. Thank you Sam." Jack moved closer to Sam, and gave her a hug. Sam was taken entirely by surprise, and her heart sped up a little bit. Jack usually didn't do hugs. Maybe it was the slight buzz he had talking or he was just especially grateful, but his whole body had urged him into this. It felt so right, but Jack didn't want to scare off Sam. He pulled away, but remained seated up against Sam. He felt almost like a nervous teenager, which did not sit well with him at all. "I have last night's _Simpsons_ on tape, want to watch it?"

"Sure!"

Jack grabbed the remote and started the show. He loved that Sam enjoyed this show too. A good sense of humor is very important. While fast forwarding through commercials Jack decided to tell Sam what was really on his mind. "I really wish I could be on an episode of this."

"Erm, it's animated Sir," Sam stifled a laugh.

"Jack." A voice from behind made the pair jump. How long had Haley been watching the two of them Jack and Sam both wondered.

"Sorry, didn't mean to break the rules!" Sam threw her hands up in an "I surrender" motion.

"I know it's _animated_. They can draw me in."

"It's not exactly like being an extra on any other show."

"Fans get walk-ons on their favorite shows all the time now. Why can't I get a… voice-on?"

"Daddy, you're insane," Haley giggled, plopping down next to Sam on the couch. "Can you move down a bit?" she asked, trying to make room for herself, forcing Jack and Sam closer.

"How are you feeling?" Jack asked, his brow slightly furrowed.

"I'm feeling a little better. Oooh!" Haley's face lit up. "Tomorrow Tommy's taking me to dinner and a movie." Jack's face twisted up.

"Don't you mean CAN Tommy take you to dinner and a movie?"

Haley sighed and groaned, and threw her head back dramatically. "Sam did you date when you were my age?"

Sam looked like a deer in the headlights. On one side sat Jack, his arms crossed, a tight frown on his face. On the other side was Haley, with really wide eyes, and a hopeful smile. "Well, I did have a boyfriend, but my father scared the- you know what out of him whenever he came to pick me up."

"Way to go Jacob!" Jack smiled mischievously getting ideas in his head.

"It was VERY embarrassing."

"Hales, new rule. You can go out to the movies with _Tommy_, but he has to come inside first so I can meet him."

Haley threw her face in her hands. "Don't worry Hale, if he really likes you having a lunatic for a father won't keep him away." Sam patted Haley's shoulder.

"Ladies, if you don't mind, can we please get back to the show?"

"Sorry," they both sheepishly answered.

After watching the week's worth of episodes, Jack yawned and looked at his watch. "Okay you, bedtime," he pointed to Haley.

"Fine fine fine. Goodnight Sam, maybe I'll see you after school tomorrow." Haley hugged Sam and stood up.

"You better tell me how your date went at the barbeque Saturday."

"You're coming!"

"Is that a problem?" Jack asked.

"No! I'm happy. Goodnight Daddy, I love you," Haley gave Jack a hug and skipped over to the steps.

"I love you too. Goodnight sweetheart."

Sam stood up and straightened out her pants. "I'd better get going."

"I'll walk you out to your car," Jack stood up and led Sam towards the door. When they opened the door the cold air hit them. "It's gotten kind of chilly out. Do you want to borrow a sweatshirt or something to drive home in? I know that little car of yours doesn't have the greatest heat."

Sam flushed up a little, but nodded. He handed her an air force sweatshirt, and she pulled it on. It smelled like him. "Thank you Jack."

They walked to her car, and he opened the door for her. "Thanks for coming tonight. Maybe we could make this a weekly date? You know the tutoring for free pizza?"

"I'd really like that."

"Sweet." Jack kicked his shoe into the ground, and looked everywhere but Sam. She gave him a quick but awkward smile.

"Goodnight."

"Night. Have a safe ride home." Jack tapped on the hood of Sam's car, and walked back towards his house. It was times like these he wished he could ask Sam to stay. As he was closing the door, he noticed Sam wasn't leaving so fast, and was on her cell phone. Jack walked back over to her car. "Is everything okay?" Carter shook her head and held up her finger, indicating she would tell him in a moment.

"Okay, I'll be right there. Bye." She hung up her phone. "There's an emergency on base, they need me there."

"Well, I'm going too then. I just need to tell Haley."

"I'll meet you there sir. I'll hold the elevator."

"Thanks."

xxxxx

"You can't leave me alone!" Haley cried. "Not after what happened tonight. Plus how will I get to school in the morning? It's closer to walk there from the base. Please Daddy, don't leave me," she pleaded.

"Fine, but I want you going right to sleep when we get there. You're not missing school tomorrow."

"Deal." Haley jumped out of bed and started searching for her clothes for school the next day.

"Fast."

"Okay, okay." Haley tossed a handful of clothes into her backpack and threw a sweatshirt on over her pajamas. "Let's go!"


	4. Run for the hills faster than Indeed

Jack and Haley met Sam at the elevator a few minutes later. She looked flustered and was pacing back and forth. "Colonel, Haley," Sam nodded at them and continued to pace across the elevator.

"Seem a little anxious there Carter," Jack noted.

"Just want to find more out about what's going on." Sam looked over at Haley, who seemed to be listening intently. Her clearance was very limited, and Sam knew she wasn't allowed to hear about the Goauld or Tokra.

"Have you heard anything?" Jack asked. Carter nodded. "Is there significance to the fact that they called you first?" Sam nodded again. Jack was pretty sure that it was the Tokra. Not just any Tokra, but Jacob/Selmac. Why else would Sam be practically running laps in the elevator? "Well calm down, just a few more floors."

All the while Haley stood by, trying to figure out her father's coded questions. She wished she knew what went on, but knew better than to ask. She was lucky enough to even know about the stargate, and only knew about that because she needed some sort of explanation for her father being gone most of the time.

The elevator finally arrived at the SGC. "Okay go straight to your quarters and go to sleep. Don't forget to set your alarm. Goodnight, I love you."

"Love you too!" Haley kissed Jack and walked towards her room. What she wouldn't give to follow Jack. She had tried that once and it earned her an SF guard for a month after that whenever she was at the SGC.

Jack and Sam speed walked to the control room to see what was going on. "The General's waiting for you in the briefing room," Lt. Simmons told them. They headed up the steps, not noticing the team cleaning up the gate room. In the briefing room sat General Hammond, Teal'c, Jacob Carter, and a female Tokra that Jack didn't recognize.

"Dad!" Sam exclaimed, rushing over to hug her father.

"Sammy, I'm so glad to see you."

Sam noticed the bandages on her father's arm. "What happened to your arm?"

"Oh that? I was shot. I'll be fine; Selmac's working away as we speak." Jack cringed at the reminder of that snake in Jacob's head. He actually didn't mind Selmac so much, but the concept was just really… weird.

"General Hammond, what's going on?" Jack asked.

"Our cover was blown on a mission, the Jaffa were right behind us. We couldn't dial our new base because it was still being set up. We figured this was the safest place to go," Jacob informed them. "Unfortunately two or three Jaffa made it through the gate. They were shot right away, but not without making a pretty good mess down there first."

"So where does SG1 fit into all of this? Wait, let me guess, is there some sort of suicide mission for us to do the rest of your dirty work?" Jack wondered.

"It is hardly a suicide mission," the Tokra female replied. She would have been very beautiful if it wasn't for the deep voice coming out. "We need the Taur'i to send in extra forces to retrieve a Tokra agent in hiding on one of Baal's planets."

"Is this a joke?" Jack asked.

"Colonel O'Neill!" General Hammond chastised.

"I'm sorry Sir, but doesn't it seem like anytime the Tokra come a' knocking we're expected to jump all over the universe for them?"

"No Colonel, I have similar reservations, but please let Vorlah continue."

"Thank you General Hammond," Vorlah continued. "Our operative has very important information concerning an attack from Ball upon Yu."

"And this concerns us how?" Jack inquired.

"Baal will have a great deal more power, making him a much harder enemy to beat," Jacob informed them.

"So once we retrieve this Tokra operative and obtain the information we need there's another mission to go on?" Sam questioned.

"That will not be necessary," Vorlah responded. "I will be going on that mission myself."

"Will you not be recognized by Baal's Jaffa?" Teal'c queried.

"Surely they are all killed or will be killed by your remaining forces. Baal has not been to that planet in quite some time, so I am confident that those Jaffa will not be reaching Baal while I am there."

"I need some time to consider this mission. For now, SG1, be prepared to go off-world at 0900 hours."

"Yes Sir," Jack and Sam said in unison. Teal'c bowed his head down. As everyone was standing up to turn in for the night, Daniel came running through the door.

"I came as fast as I could, is everything alright?"

"Come to my office Dr. Jackson, I'll explain it to you. Colonel O'Neill, Teal'c you should get some sleep, tomorrow may be a busy day. Please show Vorlah to her quarters?"

"Sure thing General." Jack led Vorlah out of the room, with Teal'c heading up the rear. Daniel followed Hammond into his office, leaving Sam and her father alone.

"So what were you doing at Colonel O'Neill's house before?" Sam felt a pang of anger, not even an hour on Earth and he was already questioning her every move.

"I'm tutoring his daughter in math, if that's alright with you, Dad."

"Jack has a daughter?" Jacob was very surprised. He had no memory of Jack ever mentioning her.

"Yes Haley, she's fifteen. Very sweet."

"Hmm. That still doesn't explain why you were there at 2300 hours!"

"It's somewhat of a long story," Sam nervously started. She could feel her father's stare burning a hole into her brain. He knew that there was more to her relationship with Jack and was highly disapproving, yet he never came out and said it.

"I've got plenty of time."

"Well, there was a fire a few months ago, and it's left Haley somewhat fragile. Colonel O'Neill managed to set a pizza box on fire tonight and his daughter got kind of spooked."

"Left it in the oven?" Jacob asked.

"How'd you…?"

"Oh learned that one the hard way myself years and years ago," Jacob chuckled. "Anyways continue."

"I was comforting Haley, and she convinced me to stay and watch TV with them, and before I knew it the clock read 11 and I was in my car about to go home when the base called."

"So you're really close with this girl?"

"I guess so. She's very close with all of SG1." Jacob frowned but didn't respond.

"I've decided to take some time to stay on Earth for a month or so," Jacob said out of the blue. "This way we can spend Thanksgiving, and maybe even the holidays together."

"Dad, that sounds great!" Sam jumped out of her chair and hugged her father.

"You don't mind if I stay with you?"

"Don't be silly, I'd love to have you."

"Eh, you'll be sick of me in no time kid."

xxxxx

General Hammond agreed to send out teams to retrieve the Tokra operative. Along with SG1 there was SG3, SG11, and SG15. If all went according to plan the mission would go smoothly. The Jaffa would not be expecting an attack, and not pose too great a threat. General Hammond figured this would be an in and out in a day mission.

At 1500 hours General Hammond and Jacob were eating a late lunch in the commissary when Hammond spotted Haley walk in and head directly for the desserts. She noticed him and waved. After getting a piece of cake, she headed over for his table.

"Hi General Hammond!"

"Hello Haley! Done with school already?"

"Yup, for the weekend! I'm so glad the week is finally over."

"Jacob, this is Haley O'Neill. Haley, this is Major Carter's father, General Jacob Carter." Jacob extended his hand to Haley.

"It's nice to meet you General, I've heard a lot about you from Sam."

"You can call me Jacob. I'm sure it was only the best things Sammy had to say about me, huh?" Haley giggled, remembering Sam's stories of Jacob torturing her boyfriends.

"Haley why don't you join us?" General Hammond motioned towards the empty seat next to him.

"Thank you Sir." Haley happily munched away at her pound cake while Jacob took a good long look at her.

"It's amazing how much you look like Jack!"

"I get that a lot," Haley gave a polite smile and returned to her cake. "Sam told me that you're on business trips a lot. How long are you visiting for?"

"I'm hoping to take some time off, maybe spend a month or two with her."

"You should come with her to our barbeque tomorrow! General Hammond, I would love it if you came too."

"Thank you for the invitation Haley, but I promised my granddaughters I would take them to the zoo."

"Is it just Sam attending this barbeque?" Jacob wondered. Selmac made Jacob feel her disapproval of prying into Sam's personal life. _I'm just a concerned father_ Jacob told her. If a frown could be an emotion, that was how Selmac felt right now.

"Daniel and Teal'c are coming too. It will be a lot of fun. Teal'c has never used a grill before! Let me tell you, he's going to want one at the SGC once he learns how to use it!"

"You sound a lot like your father, too!" Jacob chuckled.

Suddenly alarms started going off. "UNSCHEDULED OFF-WORLD ACTIVATION" sounded repeatedly.

"Please excuse us," General Hammond told Haley as he and Jacob stood up.

"Is that my dad?" Haley asked.

"I can't be sure yet," Hammond replied halfway out the door. "Don't go far."

Haley finished her cake and decided to go for a walk, maybe say hi to Dr. Frasier. As she entered the infirmary she saw a gurney being wheeled in, with Sam, Daniel and Teal'c chasing after it. Her heart stopped when she saw her father laying on the gurney, gushing blood. "Daddy!" she cried out, feeling her knees buckle beneath her. She reached out for something to grab hold of, but instead her hand just slid down the wall as she fell to the ground. Daniel noticed her, and ran over to see if she was alright.

"Your dad's going to be fine," he promised, pulling her up from the ground. Haley held onto his hand tightly.

"I'm fine sweetheart, just a little staff blast to the leg. I'm fine," Jack insisted, and then let out a huge yelp as Dr. Frasier started cleaning up the wound. Haley had a terrified look upon her face.

"Daniel-" Jack gave his friend a "do something" look.

"I'm going to take you home."

"I don't want to leave you Daddy," Haley grabbed her father's hand with both of hers. "Please?"

"That's an order Hale." Jack said through clenched teeth. He was trying to hold back his pain, and just wanted her to get out of there.

"You can't do that!" Haley cried. She hated when her father used that term. Carter and Daniel both walked Haley out of the room, while Teal'c stayed at Jack's side.

"Jack doesn't want you to see him like this," Daniel told her.

"Besides," Sam smiled, "you have a hot date to get ready for." This drew a laugh from Haley, calming her a bit. Teal'c stepped into the hallway and summoned Daniel.

"O'Neill requests your presence before you leave." Daniel followed Teal'c back towards Jack, whose face was looking extremely pale. Janet was buzzing around the room getting bandages and ordering an IV for Jack. He had lost a lot of blood.

"You have to give her boyfriend hell. Scare him Daniel."

"What are you talking about Jack?" Daniel thought that maybe the pain killers had already kicked in.

"Carter knows, talk to her. You have to do that for me."

"Um, alright Jack," Daniel agreed. A smile spread across Jack's face. Haley walked in to say goodbye to her father.

"Will you be home by tomorrow at least?" Haley asked.

"You bet. We're still having that barbeque! Now go home. I love you."

"I love you too. Feel better!" Haley kissed Jack's forehead and hurriedly left the room.

Daniel told Haley to get her stuff, and he'd meet her by her room in a minute. "Sam? Jack made me promise to give her boyfriend hell. He said you'd know what he was talking about. I think he was a little out of it at the time."

"Unfortunately he was serious. He wants you to interrogate Haley's boyfriend tonight when he comes to pick her up?" Sam laughed, remembering their conversation the night before.

"Are you serious? I can't do that! Teal'c would be really good at that…"

"Oh that would go over real well. Five minutes and the kid would be running for the hills faster than he can say _indeed_," she and Daniel both laughed at the thought.

"Well can you do it for me? You're military! I'm just not an intimidating kind of guy."

"Oh Daniel, you're… kind of right. But I can't, I have my father staying with me and I feel bad leaving him alone. Don't worry about harassing Tommy; the Colonel will have plenty of time to do that himself in the future. And you'll be fine with Haley, she loves you."

"Yeah, she does," Daniel laughed. He enjoyed the hero-worship he received, it drove Jack crazy.

xxxxx

Daniel greeted Tommy while Haley was in her room frantically switching around her outfit. He felt an obligation to do Jack's bidding, but as a non-violent person he just couldn't scare this boy. He figured a good questioning could work though. "Hi I'm Daniel," the two shook hands, and Tommy gave him a curious look. "Oh, uh, Haley's father is away on business." The boy was about Daniel's height with sandy hair and blue eyes. He looked like your average high school jock. Tommy nervously shifted his weight back and forth, not quite sure what to say to Daniel.

"It's nice to meet you. Haley's mentioned you a few times."

"So, Tommy, how long have you been driving for?"

"Well, I had my permit for a year and I got my license two months ago."

"Two months?" Daniel twisted up his mouth a little. What would Jack say to that? _You're not taking my daughter driving anywhere!_ Possibly. He certainly felt that way. But Daniel wasn't the father, and didn't want to piss Haley off either. She was scary when angry! "I trust you haven't gotten into any accidents?"

"Not a one sir!" Daniel laughed to himself when the boy called him 'sir'.

"So you're a junior, right?" Tommy nodded. "Start looking at schools yet?"

"Daniel, we're ready to go now!" Haley interrupted, coming down the stairs. She was in a pink mini skirt and a lot of makeup. The outfit would have warranted an immediate change if Jack was here, but once again Daniel didn't want to start a battle he'd probably lose.

"Alright be back by eleven."

"Of course Daniel!" she gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Don't worry about me! Oh, I have my cell phone if you need to call me. Like if my dad's flight is changed and you need me?"

"He'll be fine. Bye Hales."

Haley pulled Tommy out the door before Daniel could change his mind. She knew that she was getting off far too easily. If her father was here he'd probably be in full uniform- or maybe fatigues, and speaking like a drill sergeant. She felt a pang of guilt, going out while her father lay in the clutches of Dr. Frasier. Well he told her to go home. It'd all be okay.

Daniel sat watching TV for a few hours. Nothing too great was on. He ended up watching a _Modern Marvels _marathon. It was funny to see all the "technological advancements" the planet had made in recent years that paled in comparison to the technology that the world was not allowed to see. Daniel started to doze off when the doorbell rang. He was surprised to see Janet holding up a very woozy-looking Jack, his left leg bandaged up.

"He really wanted to come home tonight," Janet told him. "As long as he goes right to sleep, he'll be fine on his own."

"Fine fine fine!" Jack slurred.

"I gave him some pain killers, if you haven't noticed," Janet whispered.

"Not obvious at all." Daniel helped Janet bring Jack up to his room.

"Where's Haley?" Jack asked.

"She's still out on her date, she's due back in a half hour," Daniel informed him.

"Oh, that's nice," Jack smiled, as he was laid down. He must've been on heavy duty painkillers, Daniel mused.

"Go to sleep now Colonel," Janet instructed.

"Goodnight!"

Daniel and Janet walked back downstairs. "I took Colonel O'Neill's truck here, so I need a ride home. You don't mind do you?"

"You don't even have to ask!" Daniel rubbed her arm. The two shared a smile as the door flew open. "Haley! You're back early." She looked very troubled, and Daniel immediately sensed something was wrong.

"Are you okay?" Janet asked.

"No," Haley replied in a monotonous tone.

"Bad date?"

"No, I had a good time."

"Then what was it?" Janet seemed frustrated.

"As we were walking through the parking lot of the movie theater, I felt this overwhelming sense of… doom."

Janet and Daniel exchanged worried glances, and seated the girl on the couch. "You have nothing to be afraid of. You have lots of people who care about you and are always watching out for you," Daniel comforted her.

"Would you like one of us to stay here with you?" Janet asked.

"No, it's alright. My dad's here, right?"

"Well, he's not currently in the most coherent state…" Daniel informed.

"I'll… I'll be fine. You're right. I think I'm just being silly," Haley more told herself than the rest of the room.

"Alright, well if you're positive that you'll be fine we're going to get going," Janet said. Daniel went upstairs to check on Jack and sure enough he was passed out, with one arm bent above his head, his mouth hanging open, a slight snore going on. Daniel considered taking photos for blackmail. It'd shut Jack up pretty fast next time he made a crack about Daniel being a geeky scientist.

When Daniel returned downstairs he found Janet giving Haley instructions on caring for her father. Plenty of water, take his antibiotics, etc, etc. Janet would be back tomorrow to change the dressing. And yes, he'd be good for the barbeque, but he should stay off of his feet, and stay off the pain meds if he wanted to actually remember the party.

"You should probably go to bed, your dad will be up nice and early tomorrow morning, and he'll need your help. Call us at _any_ hour if you need anything. We'll see you tomorrow." Janet patted Haley on the shoulder and stood up. Haley walked her and Daniel to the door.

"Bye Hales!" Daniel waved, and she shut the door. They listened to make sure she locked it, and headed towards the car.

"Do you think she'll be alright?" Daniel asked.

"I think she's just going through a rough time right now. Today probably wasn't easy on her," Janet replied in a way that soothed all of Daniel's worries.

"I'll talk to Jack tomorrow. I think you're right."


	5. Cake can fix anything

"O'Neill, I feel you have sufficiently taught me how to grill. You may sit down now," Teal'c urged. Jack had been standing at the barbeque with Teal'c for a while now, showing him how to use it.

"Dammit Teal'c, I've got a gash on my leg, I'm not a cripple!" Jack barked. The pain had put him in a cranky mood, not to mention being poked and prodded at by Dr. Frasier, and he especially hated being babied.

"Indeed O'Neill, but I am fully capable of barbequing myself."

"You don't want to insult him Jack," Daniel broke in, walking over from across the deck. "Besides, I need to speak to you." Jack limped over to a chaise and sat down. He nodded for Daniel to talk. "Haley seemed very upset when she came home last night."

"Was it that punk kid? I'll kill him," Jack's face reddened and he clenched his fists.

"No, no. She said she had a good time. After that though, she said she felt a sense of 'doom'. I'm not quite sure what it means, but she looked kind of spooked."

"Spooked? As in saw a ghost?"

"Well, you could say that. I know that she's been on edge with the fire, and then seeing you hurt. I just wanted to give you a heads up."

"Thanks Daniel. I'll keep an eye on her. She has been _pretty_ moody today." Jack rolled his eyes. "Hell hath no fury like teenage girl with angst."

The doorbell rang. Jack started to struggle to stand, but Daniel put a hand on his shoulder to impede him. Instead Haley left her conversation with Janet to get the door. It was Sam and Jacob, who brought a chocolate cake.

"Hales, sweetheart, can you bring me some cake?" Jack asked in the sweetest voice.

"Sorry Sir, but it's for dessert," Sam said.

"Sam, what are the rules of the house?" Haley reprimanded.

"Rules?" Jacob laughed at the bravado of this child.

"No military talk. It's just creepy!" Haley notified Jacob. "First names here. Isn't that how you would talk to your friends? I know if somebody called me O'Neill all the time I'd lose it!"

"Hey! O'Neill is a very nice name that you are lucky to have!" Jack protested.

"Sorry, but you know what I'm saying Daddy."

"The food is ready," Teal'c announced, getting everybody's attention.

Everyone sat around the table, stuffing their faces. "I haven't had food this great in a long time! Great job Teal'c." Jacob gushed.

"Hey, I helped," Jack exclaimed.

"Great teaching skills si- Jack," Carter chimed in. Jacob frowned slightly, but only Janet noticed. She saw a lot of similarities between his over protectiveness and Jack's.

A cool breeze swept over the table, caressing everybody's skin. It was the perfect fall day, one of the last few before sweaters would be needed. The trees were already rich shades of red, orange, and yellow. The perfectly clear sky (which reminded Jack of the opening for _The Simpsons_) completed what would be a painter's dream day. After the meal everybody was spread out while enjoying their cake. Janet and Daniel seemed to be locked in a deep conversation. Jack and Sam were debating over last week's crossword puzzle, and Teal'c was discussing inter-universal cuisine with Jacob. Teal'c had made a hobby of learning how to cook Earth dishes on his downtime, but especially loved cooking dishes from other worlds, which was hard to do when most of the ingredients from these planets could not be found at home. Jacob promised to bring him some foreign spices next time he returned. Meanwhile, Haley sat by herself, lying on her stomach on the rail of the deck, picking at her cake. She felt incredibly melancholy, but wasn't sure exactly why. This caught Sam's eye after a few minutes, and she nudged Jack. He tottered over and placed his hand on Haley's shoulder. She hadn't noticed him coming and was so startled that she fell of the deck, onto the grass. She lay on the ground for a moment, stunned, and suddenly burst into tears. Janet rushed over and looked over the girl.

"Are you alright?" Haley nodded through the tears. She wasn't hurt, just taken aback. Janet helped her up, and led her to a chair. "It's okay," Janet cooed, taking Haley in her arms, and rocking her back and forth. "Shhh." The instant maternal instinct had kicked in, and she seemed to be making progress in stopping the tears. Jack was very impressed, but felt something lurch in the pit of his stomach.

"Here sweetheart, have some cake," Jack offered with a smile. Haley ate some, and even looked like she was enjoying it. "Cake can fix _anything_," Jack informed everybody.

"I disagree with that statement O'Neill," Teal'c replied.

xxxxx

Sam and Daniel were in the kitchen cleaning up the dishes. "Janet was incredible out there," Daniel said with a contemplative smile.

"I wish I had those kinds of maternal skills," Sam sighed.

"Do you ever think about having kids Sam?"

"Eventually. I can figure out how to build a naquaddah generator, but I don't know how well I would be able to raise a child. I feel like my brain isn't very well equipped in that field."

"I guess you learn as you go along."

"If I met the right person…" Sam started, staring through the window onto the deck. Daniel wondered if it was at anybody in particular.

"And wasn't busy saving the world every other week?"

"That too. What about you Daniel?"

"Well," he gathered his thoughts.

"What are you two talking about?" Janet walked in, placing the serving platter in the sink.

"When's Daniel going to be a father?" Sam grinned, knowing she was probably embarrassing him a little bit. Janet's face looked pretty surprised herself.

"Sam!" Jacob's voice called from outside.

"Excuse me," Sam left Daniel and Janet, who were both avoiding the other's stare, to find her father. "Yes Dad?"

"Is it true that you told this impressionable girl stories about me scaring away boyfriends?"

"How did _that_ come up?" Sam asked, amused.

"HE," Haley pointed to Jack, "was grilling me about last night-"

"And your father backed me up!" Jack finished her sentence.

"Dad! You were so overprotective of me when I was Haley's age. I wouldn't wish that upon anybody else!"

"It's just a sign a father cares," Jack said.

"Is it not a father's duty to watch out for his children?" Teal'c asked. "If I had a daughter, I too would worry about suitors." Haley quietly ducked out of the debate to go look at the stars. On a clear night nothing relaxed her more. She even had glow in the dark stars on her ceiling, but they hardly compared to the real thing. Haley fell asleep on a lawn chair while the sound of the adults chattering away faded into the background.

xxxxx

"Look how peaceful she looks," Daniel commented, as everyone stared affectionatelyat the sleeping girl. It was times like these that she still reminded Jack of a little girl. He smiled at the idea of Haley finally having some tranquility in that conflicted mind of hers. He spoke too soon.

Everybody had returned to their drinks and conversations with one another only to be interrupted by a blood curdling scream. Jack turned around to see Haley missing from her chair on the lawn. "Haley?" he called out. No response. "HALEY!" Still, no reply. Everybody split up, looking for her. "HALES!" Jack was starting to get very nervous.

"O'Neill! I have found her," Teal'c shouted from the front yard. He carried a still sleeping Haley into the house, placing her on the couch. "I believe she was walking in her sleep."

"No! I'm not going through the stargate," she muttered. "Well I HATE you and I hate the Asgard! You're a monster!"

Sam, Jack, Daniel and Teal'c all exchanged looks. Haley's knowledge of the stargate was one thing, but she had never been told about the Asgard. Unless Jack accidentally mentioned it.

"How much does this girl know?" Jacob asked. Jack nudged her awake, and she sat straight up, her skin pale and clammy.

"Daddy?"

"Do you remember what you were dreaming about?"

"Somebody was trying to take me away somewhere. That's all I remember." Haley rubbed her temples. "How'd I get in here?"

"You fell asleep watching the stars, nothing out of the ordinary that is until you turned zombie and T found you in the front," Jack updated her.

"She has a slight fever Jack," Janet declared after feeling her forehead.

"Do you all have to stand around me? It's kind of creepy!" Haley snapped. Everybody except Jack and Janet took two steps back.

"I recommend taking a Tylenol and going to bed. Check in on her in an hour, see if the fever's gone down," Janet ordered. Jack resignedly nodded, tired of these mini-crises on a daily basis. "I would stay and help out, but Cassie's going to be home in nearly an hour. You know where to reach me though," Janet smiled, and pushed Haley's hair off of her face. "She'll be fine."

"I will stay and assist you O'Neill. You should be staying off your feet still," Teal'c volunteered.

"Thanks buddy, but that won't be necess-"

"Teal'c, I think that's a wonderful idea," Janet chimed in. "Don't be afraid to ask for help from time to time. Us single parents need a hand every now and then," Janet winked at Jack, who distinctly noticed Daniel reflectively smile at that comment out of the corner of his eye.

Shortly after Haley retired for bed the party broke up. Everyone thanked Jack for a great meal and offered their assistance at any hour should he need it. _Just because it feels like I've only been Haley's father for days at times, the truth of the matter is that I've raised her since birth, and I've made it this far._ Jack felt a knot form in his stomach at these thoughts. He found himself asking more and more questions about his daughter that he just couldn't remember. _Ah Jack, you're losing your memory in your old age_.

xxxxx

"Haley's a sweet kid, but boy, trouble follows her around!" Jacob remarked.

"I guess it's a side effect of spending too much time at the SGC!"

"Sammy, I'm serious. There is something wrong with that girl!"

Sam felt almost personally attacked by her father, and defended Haley like she was her own. "There is nothing wrong with Haley, she's just having a really hard time coping with the fire, a new school and just getting back into the swing of things."

"New school?"

"The colonel had Haley in private school, but she hated it, so he enrolled her in public school. She's been doing a lot better since."

"Uh huh," Jacob wondered why Sam seemed so invested in somebody else's child. "Where's her mother?"

"I… don't know. I'm not even too sure who she is. Colonel O'Neill can be very private sometimes."

"Oh Sam," Jacob sighed, slapping his forehead. "I should've known."

"Known what?" Sam got a little nervous, not quite wanting to hear what ideas her father had.

"Haley reminds you of yourself at that age. Motherless, air force father, a little moody…" Jacob chuckled, remembering a fifteen year old Sam.

"_That's_ why you think I'm close with Haley?" Sam asked, somewhat surprised. Jacob nodded. "There's just something about her I'm drawn to, she's a really sweet kid.

"She's Jack's kid."

"What are you trying to say Dad?" Sam crossed her arms and took a step back from her father.

_Don't go there Jacob_, Selmac urged. "Sammy, I don't have to say anything."

"I'm close to Cassie too, you know. Do you have a problem with that relationship as well?" There was a long pause, while Sam studied her father's face, and he stared up at the ceiling gathering his thoughts.

"Let me ask you something, though."

"Yes?"

"Did your friendship, maybe even maternal relationship with Cassandra bring you closer to Janet?"

"Of course- oh I get what you're trying to say Dad. I am NOT using Haley to get closer to Colonel O'Neill. She is close with the whole team!" Sam felt a slight rage starting to boil within.

"I never said that you were the one doing any using," Jacob suggested.

"Subtle Dad. Colonel O'Neill is not using his daughter EITHER. I can't believe you would even begin to suggest…" Sam was waving her hands around as she ranted. Jacob grabbed hold of her arm.

"Maybe Jack isn't using you either. Ever think that all this girl desperately wants is a mother, and she's playing on your exact weakness of once feeling the same way?" Sam's open mouth shut tight. She eyed her father curiously, waiting to hear what else he had to say. "Honey, I don't want to fight with you. I'm home to enjoy your company. I just don't want you to get into a situation that is a lot more than you ever bargained- or are even ready for." Sam crossed her arms, but still did not reply, unwilling to admit that maybe her father had a point.


	6. The Stargate

Everything was still blurry, but Jack was almost positive the clock read 4 am. "Oh for crying out loud, not again," he grumbled, as he heard cries come from the next room. He pulled himself out of bed and trudged to the door. He still had a limp from his wounded leg.

"O'Neill," Jack jumped when he saw Teal'c standing at the doorway. "I believe your daughter needs you." Jack headed into Haley's room. Her covers were on the floor, and she was sitting straight up, sweat covering her face.

"Daddy?" she whispered.

"I'm here, what's the matter?" Jack asked, sitting down next to her. He put his arm around her and realized her flesh was burning up.

"Nothing's right. Nothing's right," she murmured. He felt her forehead, and pulled his hand back.

"You're burning up! Let me get the thermometer, stay here." Haley grabbed hold of his arm.

"You can't leave me alone anymore." Her voice sounded so hollow, and her eyes looked empty and far off.

"What if Teal'c stays while I get the thermometer?"

"Fine, but only if you promise to come right back," she insisted. Jack nodded, and left the room.

"T?"

"Yes O'Neill?"

"Can you sit with her for a sec while I get the thermometer?" Teal'c bowed his head down and entered Haley's room.

"Teal'c, I don't think everything is how it seems. I had a dream… they told me that this," she waved her hand around the room "is all a lie. Nothing is right. I think I need to go to the stargate. I need to get off this planet."

"The stargate?" Jack reentered the room and stuck a thermometer into Haley's mouth. "No more talking for a few minutes. Lay down." Haley obeyed, but her eyes kept darting back and forth between her father and Teal'c. Jack patiently waited for the alarm to beep, and Teal'c just stood perfectly still, in his statue pose. The thermometer beeped, and Jack read the temperature.

"Geeze. You've got a 103 temperature. That's not good; I think I should call Janet. Does anything else hurt you?"

"Just my head," Haley whispered, suddenly extremely frightened. "Daddy, what if this is it?"

"Don't be ridiculous." Jack dialed the phone and waited for an answer. He knew that he was waking Janet up, but felt he had no other choice. "Hi Janet, it's Jack. I'm really sorry to wake you... Haley has a 103 fever and she's a little delusional, she wants to leave the planet through the stargate… Yeah, that's why I was a little hesitant to just bring her to the hospital… Okay, we'll meet you there. Thank you… Bye." Jack wrapped a blanket around his shivering daughter. "Let's go."

xxxxx

"I put her on an IV, she was pretty dehydrated. I also gave her some ibuprofen to reduce the fever. I'm just waiting for the results of the blood work now," Janet informed Jack, who was pacing in front of his daughter's bed. She had finally fallen asleep, so they quietly walked away, so as not to disturb her.

"I don't understand," Daniel chimed in, wiping the sleep out of his eyes. "She looked fine tonight when we were at your house.

"Well, if it's some kind of virus, it could have just been starting when we left," Janet assumed. "The good news is she's not throwing up."

"Good, that rules out food poisoning. Phew!" Daniel wiped at his forehead.

"I did not put poison in your food DanielJackson," Teal'c sounded offended.

"T, what he meant was… Oh just forget it," Jack walked back into the room where the beds were, and sat down next to Haley. He ran his hands through his hair, and sighed.

"Colonel, why don't you try and get a short nap in. I'll tell you when I get the blood results," Janet suggested. For once, he didn't give her a hard time, and lay down. Next thing he knew it was an hour later, and Teal'c was standing guard over him.

"What's going on?" Jack asked. "Why haven't I gotten the blood test back?"

"Dr. Frasier asked that I inform her when you awoke. I will return with her shortly," Teal'c replied.

"Something's not right here," Jack muttered. Janet entered the room, reading off of her clipboard. "Is she alright?"

"I still haven't figured out what's wrong with her, but her fever has gone down a little bit. Come, step into my office Sir." Jack followed her into the office, leaving Teal'c to stand guard over Haley.

Daniel was sitting in the office waiting for them. "Jack, I know this may be a hard topic for you, but where's Haley's mother?"

"What's this about?" Jack questioned.

"Colonel," Dr. Frasier began slowly. "There were some… anomalies in Haley's blood. I ran further tests and, her DNA…" Janet looked over to Daniel, who gave her a reassuring nod. "She's half-human…"

Jack gave her a blank stare before it truly hit him. "Are you saying my daughter is an alien? Is she even mine?"

"Well, that's the interesting thing Jack," Daniel bit furrowed his brow.

"Her human-half of the DNA matches yours almost exactly. It's like she's a female YOU," Janet told him.

"Who is Haley's mother? Or more precisely, _what_?" Daniel wondered.

This was all too much for Jack to handle. His heart started to race, and the room felt like it was closing in on him. "I… I… I don't know."

"What do you mean?" Daniel asked.

"I have… NOT ONE memory of her mother. I don't know how that's possible, but that's how it is. What did she do to me?"

xxxxx

"Daniel, Daniel, slow down. She's what?" Carter asked, holding the phone with her shoulder as she sliced strawberries. "Are you serious? ... Okay, I guess we'll leave now… Bye." Sam hung up the phone, and put the strawberries back in the fridge. No time for breakfast today.

"What's going on?" Jacob wanted to know.

"I'm not too sure, but they need us at the base now."

xxxxx

"There isn't a single picture or remnant of her existence in your house?" General Hammond asked. Jack shook his head.

"And it wasn't Sara?" Daniel speculated.

"First of all, Sara is human; secondly Haley was born just before we got married. This is no use. I feel like there's a roadblock in my brain. I can't remember any of that period of time. I know certain things happened, but I can't seem to register it at all. It's like pieces of my life and Haley's life too, are erased."

"Colonel, I'd like to do a brain scan on you," Dr. Frasier suggested.

"Scan away," Jack consented.

"Last time she was awake she was asking for you," Daniel mentioned.

"It's just too much to deal with right now, I'm sorry, but just tell her I'm needed elsewhere. I don't know, spin a story, you're a creative mind Daniel. Teal'c is keeping watch right now anyways." Jack stood up, and left for the infirmary with Dr. Frasier in tow.

"Maybe we should run a background check through the Pentagon's file system on Colonel O'Neill," Sam suggested.

"Why is that?" Daniel asked.

"They have more information on us than we'd care to know about," Jacob told him.

"Maybe we can fill in some of the blanks that Colonel O'Neill can't."

"Good idea Major, get started immediately. Dr. Jackson, please assist Major Carter. Jacob, please come to my office."

xxxxx

"It's like they never even knew about her," Sam said, frustrated at being unable to figure out this mystery.

"There's a file on Sara and a file on Charlie. Why nothing on Haley?" Daniel questioned.

xxxxx

"If she truly doesn't exist I'm afraid the NID is going to figure out, and use this poor girl as a test subject," General Hammond worried.

"Relax George. She's still Jack's daughter, and he's not going to let anything like that happen to her," Jacob was pretty sure.

"Is she though? Or is this some kind of trickery?"


	7. Questions

"How is it possible that they don't know who she is if they seem to follow our every move?"

"I don't know Daniel. But now I'm looking to see if Haley's name comes up on any local files. School transcripts, inoculation records, just evidence that she at least is a citizen of Colorado Springs."

"Her transfer to public school would leave local government file, right?"

"Yes. Let's see…" Sam scanned through pages of school files online. "O'Neill… O'Neill… Andrew… AHA, Haley." Sam's mouth dropped open. "This can't be right… Haley is listed as a student right now, but there is no history whatsoever before this year. Her transcript only contains information from this past marking period of school."

"There's nothing else?"

xxxxx

Janet finished Jack's brain scan, and studied the results. He sat in a chair nearby with a stone cold look on his face. His eyes were glazed over and his mouth was firmly shut. Teal'c walked in, with a stoic appearance on his face too. "O'Neill, Haley is asking for you. She seems quite agitated."

"Get Carter or Daniel to talk to her. Frasier has a few more tests to run on me." Teal'c raised his eyebrow, but didn't put up a fight when Jack scowled at him.

"If that is what you want."

"Yes, that's what I want."

"Very well." Janet felt like yelling at Jack for ignoring his daughter in her time of need, but knew that when he acted like this there was no getting through to him.

xxxxx

"Why's my dad ignoring me?" Haley cried to Daniel and Sam, who sat on the edge of her bed.

"Oh Hales, he's not ignoring you. He just has a lot of work to take care of right now," Daniel lied.

"He's very behind in his paperwork and General Hammond has been bothering him for weeks to finish it," Sam added.

"I don't believe that, I think you're both lying to me. Doesn't he know that I need him?" she sniffled, and threw herself across Daniel's and Sam's laps. "I feel so alone!"

"No Haley!" Daniel tried to calm her sobs. "Your dad loves you, and we're all here for you."

"I'm so scared Daniel." Sam stroked Haley's hair and gave Daniel a worrisome look.

"Of what?" he asked.

"I need to get off of this planet…" Haley murmured.

"What do you mean?" Sam asked this time, but there was no response.

Haley cried for about ten more minutes, and eventually fell asleep. "I think we need to tell the Colonel about what's going on."

"I agree, but he's already on edge, how's he going to take this?"

"Oh I'm pretty confident not well at all…"

xxxxx

"What? So she just popped into this world three months ago?" Jack demanded.

"Sir, we're not sure of anything yet. But she keeps saying she wants to leave the planet. It could just be the fever making her delirious. She really wants to see you, though."

"Carter, is this girl even my daughter? Dr. Frasier thinks there might be some kind of memory blocker in my brain, which is why I can't remember any details about her life. It's like I have these brief memories, Haley taking a first step, riding a bike, normal growing up experiences, but in them I'm the only one there! How is it possible that I have no memories of her interacting with Charlie or Sara? Nothing adds up!" He furiously pounded his fist into the table.

"Jack," Daniel placed his hand on his shoulder to calm him. "You still need to be there for her. Until we can prove otherwise you're still her father and she needs to know that you're there for her."

"I just want to know the truth," Jack stood up and stormed out of the room. He walked into the room where Haley was resting. She was no longer asleep, and Dr. Frasier was taking her temperature.

"Daddy!" Haley's face lit up when she saw her father. "I thought you were never coming back!" Janet stepped out of the room to give the pair privacy.

"We need to talk Hale." Jack sat on the bed next to hers, and rested his palms on his knees.

"What's the matter? There's something wrong with me, isn't there? I know I still have a fever and-"

"Who are you?" Jack flatly asked.

Haley looked confused, and unsure of how to answer. "Your daughter?"

"Who's your mother?"

"I… I don't know. I don't remember her. Why are you asking me these stupid questions?"

"Give me a memory of yours from childhood."

"What?"

"A MEMORY!" Jack demanded, startling the girl.

"Um… do you remember when you taught me how to ride a bike?" Haley smiled slightly, but Jack didn't return the sentiment.

"Do you have any memories that involve anybody besides us?"

"Of course," Haley replied.

"Well tell me one," Jack felt a slight glimmer of hope.

"Do you remember that time we went ice skating with Sam and Daniel? I was a lot younger, maybe ten? Teal'c wouldn't join us, he just watched from the side," Haley giggled.

"It's not real. I don't think that ever happened. I have the exact same memory, but something is off. Can't you remember something not involving myself or anybody from the SGC?" Haley shook her head. "And this doesn't strike you as odd?"

"I just figured I had a bad memory!" Haley whimpered.

"Tell me the truth DAMMIT! What the hell are you?" Jack yelled.

"I don't know what you're talking about! What's going on?" Haley started crying.

"You're not all human. In fact there is no record of you even existing up until three months ago. I think you know this. Why else would you be asking to leave the damn planet?" Haley stood up out of bed, her eyes wide open and scared.

"Are you saying I'm an… an… alien? It's not true! They're wrong! Whoever told you that is wrong!" Haley reached out for her father's hand, but he pulled back. "Daddy, it's not true, it's a lie. They're wrong!"

"It all seems to add up a little too well Hale," Jack looked down at the floor, unsure of what to say next. How could she not be in on this? Who would just plop her down on Earth without any explanation?

"You can't even look at me!" Haley shrieked. "I don't know who… or WHAT I am, and my own father is not even there to help." Jack met her eyes with a helpless stare. "If I'm not real then how am I here? I KNOW I'm Haley O'Neill!" She fell to the ground in a fit of sobs.

Jack was in a state of utter confusion. She made a valid point. Where did Haley come from if she never truly existed on Earth? She looked so much like him, felt so much like his daughter, and was still a major part of his heart. But it hurt too much to look at her. He couldn't bear the thought of her not being his and losing another child. In his own opinion, Jack's best option was to emotionally cut himself off from the world completely. Only problem was that Jack couldn't just sit there and watch Haley… freak out would seem to be the appropriate term. He kneeled down and rubbed her back.

"Get away from me!" she screamed, pushing his hand away. "Just leave me alone. I guess I have no father!" with that the sobs became heavier. "My life is a lie… I have never felt more alone." Carter and Dr. Frasier walked into the infirmary, hearing the screaming in the hallway. Sam tried to pick Haley up off the ground in an attempt to comfort her. "Don't come another step closer. I bet you're the reason he found out! He wouldn't investigate me on his own!"

"Haley, that's not fair, we're all just trying to help you," Sam told her.

"You're working yourself up, it's not healthy for you right now," Janet tried to use medical reasoning to get Haley back into bed. Jack still sat, lifeless, not getting involved.

"I can't stay here, I need to get out!" Haley screamed, running out of the infirmary. She ran down the halls, but was stopped by two SFs. Janet, Sam, and Jack all chased after her, and stopped when they saw the airmen holding her down, kicking and screaming. "Let me go!" They pulled her off the ground, and the bigger of the two men carried her back towards the infirmary. "Daddy! Please help me!"

Jack felt nauseous, and just wanted to run away from the whole situation and lock himself up in his quarters. He knew he had to do the right thing though. "Put her down, I'll take her from here," he instructed. He picked up Haley, who was now hyperventilating, and brought her back to the infirmary. Janet gave her a tranquilizer, and within two to three minutes she was passed out. Both Sam and Janet sympathetically looked over to Jack, who sat with his face buried in his hands.

"Sir, are you alright?" Sam asked, walking over to him.

"How the hell do you think I am Carter?" Jack snapped. "What kind of bastard would do this to her, to me, to all of us?"

"I'm sorry Colonel; I don't know what to say." She desperately wanted to find some kind of solution, and felt both helpless and useless in not being able to do so. Jack hung his head again, not wanting Frasier or Carter to see his face. Dr. Frasier looked him up and down and pursed her lips.

"Colonel, you need that bandage changed on your leg. Come on, follow me," she motioned, and Jack followed. Sam went to find her father, and maybe grab some lunch.


	8. Alien Rendezvous Sixteen Years Ago?

"Samantha, you're too involved for your own good," Jacob lectured. "You need to take a step back from the situation and try to solve the problem at hand, not get caught up in it. You owe that to Jack anyways. He needs answers, and you're the most likely person to find them."

"Dad, I don't think I can figure this one out," Sam said resignedly.

"Sweetheart, I have faith in you," Jacob reached across the table and took his daughter's hand, giving her a gentle squeeze. She responded with a slight smile. Their moment was broken by Teal'c and Daniel sitting down at the table next to the two Carters.

"Are we interrupting anything?" Daniel softly asked.

"Just a little pep-talk," Sam squeezed her father's hand and let go.

"We are worried about the O'Neill's," Teal'c informed Jacob and Sam.

"I'm actually going to meet with General Hammond right now, I'll see you at the briefing in a half an hour," Jacob stood up and patted Sam on the shoulder as he exited the room.

"Janet informed me of their argument earlier," Daniel spoke softly, with a deep sadness in his eyes. "I heard that Haley got pretty agitated."

"That's putting it lightly," Sam sadly responded. Regardless of who this child was, they had all become close to her, and cared what happened. "Colonel O'Neill seems to be in pretty bad shape, too."

"We must be his pebble."

"Uh, I think that's rock Teal'c, but I agree with the sentiment," Daniel chuckled. "Have you tried talking to him?"

"Yes, but he shot me down pretty fast."

"Perhaps I will try talking to him after our briefing," Teal'c offered.

xxxxx

SG-1, minus O'Neill, sat around the briefing room table with General Hammond and Jacob. As Hammond started to open his mouth to speak the door opened and O'Neill walked in, taking his usual seat next to Carter.

"Sir," Sam was surprised at his arrival. His face was stone cold and his eyes looked frozen. He had drained all emotion out of his features.

"Are you up to being here Colonel?" Hammond asked.

"I'm fine, Sir," he replied monotonously.

"Well, now that we're all situated, let's get started," Hammond folded his hands and searched for the right words. "First of all, I have decided not to report on this incident until any important information comes to light, to keep the NID out of this mess. As far as anybody else is concerned she was here due to a high fever. Jack, I want you to continue your normal routine with your daughter, but we will keep searching for answers."

"Excuse me General? You want me to just keep pretending that this isn't some ALIEN I'm living with?" Teal'c raised his eyebrow and tipped his head slightly. "No offense T. Seriously General, why can't we just keep her here?"

"And what Jack? Run tests on her, maybe dissect her?" Daniel cried out, furious that he was being so selfish.

"She's NOT MINE DANIEL!" Jack yelled, slamming his hand on the table.

"Colonel O'Neill, please calm down," Hammond ordered.

"It's still your DNA that is flowing through her, regardless of how you are related now," Jacob stated.

"I would like you to bring Haley home as soon as her fever starts to go down, and return her to school immediately. You need to help her get back into the swing of things as soon as possible. No one outside of this room needs to know what is going on," the General commanded.

"Yes Sir," Jack sullenly bowed his head down.

"Good. Major Carter, Jacob tells me that you still haven't had any luck finding evidence of Haley's existence?"

"Other than the few things we've found dating AFTER this past August, Sir."

"So it's safe to say that if she was brought here it was around then," Daniel noted.

"We've also checked through Colonel O'Neill's bank records from the past few years, and there is no evidence beyond the past few months that he has been supporting a child. No private school tuition, clothing or toy purchases…" Sam trailed off. "There is no way that Haley was living with him if we are to believe our memories of her childhood."

Jack ran his fingers through his hair, and shifted slightly in his seat. He was obviously agitated.

"Son, are you alright?" Hammond asked, placing his hand on Jack's shoulder.

"She seems so convinced of who she is. I just don't understand how she could be as brainwashed as we are," he arose from his seat. "This makes no friggin' sense!" he waved a clenched fist in front of him.

Daniel and Sam caught each other's eyes, both sad to see their friend so distressed. They silently promised each other that they would stick together on this, and not let Jack fall into the deep depression he was quickly spiraling towards. Teal'c took note of their unspoken understanding and nodded.

"I'll leave you four to talk," General Hammond announced. "We still have a base to run, and I have other matters to attend to. Jacob, I could use yours and Selmac's expertise on this Tokra treaty we're working on." As he was out the door Hammond added that the team was grounded for one week to sort out their situation.

"Unbelievable," Jack scowled. "How can Hammond do this?"

"You have a duty to protect this girl O'Neill, whoever she may be," Teal'c was not taking no for an answer.

"She is still part YOU, which makes her family in some way or another," Daniel insisted.

"May I ask you something Sir?" Carter questioned.

"Sure, shoot," Jack replied, his elbows propped up on the table, head in hands.

"Did you have any… rendezvous… with an alien sixteen years ago?"

Jack managed to smile, which warmed Carter up inside. There was hope after all that he was not completely inconsolable.

xxxxx

Two days later Dr. Frasier deemed Haley well enough to go home. The past few days Jack had gone to see her for short periods of time, but not much was said between the two. He wasn't quite sure how to handle her homecoming.

"Err, Daniel, can I talk to you?" Jack stood in the doorway of the archeologist's office.

"Sure, come in." Jack walked in and took a seat, picking up one of Daniel's artifacts and studying it from every angle.

"Oh, uh, be careful with that it's-"

"Very old and fragile?"

"I was going to say from a temple in-" he looked at Jack's blank face and decided it wasn't worth going on. "Oh, never mind. So what brings you down here?"

"Well," Jack studied his hands, and shifted back and forth in his seat. "As you know I'm taking Haley home today, and things… things are kind of strange at the moment."

"And you want me there to breakup the tension?" he wondered.

"Yes," Jack pointed at him. "That would be great Daniel!"

"I don't know, maybe you two should have some alone time together-"

"I'm not ready for that, and I don't think she is either. You can stay in the guestroom, and there will even be fresh coffee waiting in the morning."

Daniel did want to help out his friend, and sympathized with both him and his daughter. Awkward wouldn't even begin to describe how the two were right now. Plus, the promise of coffee was a nice perk- Jack always made good coffee. "Okay, I'll stay tonight, but I'm not making any promises after that. I think you two need to be open with each other, and talk about how you feel."

"Daniel, you sound like a shrink." Daniel rolled his eyes, and dismissed Jack's comment. "We're leaving in about half an hour," Jack said, standing up and heading towards the door.

"I'll meet you at your house at about six, then?"

"Sounds good," Jack took a step out of the room and turned around. "Oh and Daniel?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

xxxxx

Two days later Dr. Frasier deemed Haley well enough to go home. The past few days Jack had gone to see her for short periods of time, but not much was said between the two. He wasn't quite sure how to handle her homecoming.

"Err, Daniel, can I talk to you?" Jack stood in the doorway of the archeologist's office.

"Sure, come in." Jack walked in and took a seat, picking up one of Daniel's artifacts and studying it from every angle.

"Oh, uh, be careful with that it's-"

"Very old and fragile?"

"I was going to say from a temple in-" he looked at Jack's blank face and decided it wasn't worth going on. "Oh, never mind. So what brings you down here?"

"Well," Jack studied his hands, and shifted back and forth in his seat. "As you know I'm taking Haley home today, and things… things are kind of strange at the moment."

"And you want me there to breakup the tension?" he wondered.

"Yes," Jack pointed at him. "That would be great Daniel!"

"I don't know, maybe you two should have some alone time together-"

"I'm not ready for that, and I don't think she is either. You can stay in the guestroom, and there will even be fresh coffee waiting in the morning."

Daniel did want to help out his friend, and sympathized with both him and his daughter. Awkward wouldn't even begin to describe how the two were right now. Plus, the promise of coffee was a nice perk- Jack always made good coffee. "Okay, I'll stay tonight, but I'm not making any promises after that. I think you two need to be open with each other, and talk about how you feel."

"Daniel, you sound like a shrink." Daniel rolled his eyes, and dismissed Jack's comment. "We're leaving in about half an hour," Jack said, standing up and heading towards the door.

"I'll meet you at your house at about six, then?"

"Sounds good," Jack took a step out of the room and turned around. "Oh and Daniel?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you."


	9. Fun House

Not a word had been spoken between Jack and Haley the whole car ride home. His hands were firmly planted on the wheel, eyes fixed directly on the road. Haley toyed around with a yoyo she had found in the driver's compartment. She refused to look in her father's direction- it turned her insides into ice, and sent shivers up her arms. No, the yoyo was entertaining. Fathers who don't want you bad, yoyo good, she repeated in her head.

Jack was driving faster than usual, the trees outside seemed to blend into one-another. The leaves were still changing, rich shades of gold, red, and orange mixed together. Haley half wanted to jump out of the car and make a run for the trees. They seemed so friendly and inviting, especially the red ones. There was something about red trees that called out for somebody to lie underneath them, taking in their beauty. The roads seemed so familiar and so distant at the same time to Haley. Everything in her registered this place as home, but knowledge of the past week reminded Haley that this was all a lie. Well was it a lie that she recognized the places she had been living for at least two months? It was all so confusing.

Haley took in a deep sigh and shuddered. Hearing this caused Jack to twitch slightly. He really hoped she didn't notice. He saw his… daughter? out of the corner of his eye with her knees pulled against her chest, arms wrapped around them tightly. Instinctively he reached out and squeezed her shoulder, something that startled them both. Haley jumped a little, but relaxed when she realized that he was finally reaching out to her. Jack regretted what he did as she took his hand in hers, clamping on for dear life. He desperately wanted to pull away, not to feel the rush of emotions that came with playing the role of father.

Still, Jack never took his eyes off the road. As he turned the corner onto his street the butterflies that had been plaguing his stomach since he first had to bring Haley to the SGC seemed to be as overactive as ever. Apparently Haley felt the same way; he could feel her hand shaking in his. Now or never O'Neill, he told himself while hesitantly pulling into the driveway. He saw Daniel's car was already there, and breathed a heavy sigh of relief. Before he even turned the engine off, Haley was already out of the car and heading for the door. Jack slowly followed her into the house and wasn't all that surprised to see Daniel had brought Teal'c with him. The two were watching a Discovery channel piece on Ancient Egypt, and Daniel was pointing out all the discrepancies while Teal'c sat with his arms crossed, extremely relieved that O'Neill and HaleyO'Neill had arrived and would most surely change the subject.

Haley plunked herself down next to Daniel and seemed very interested in what he was watching and had to say.

"I'm going to pick up the pizza," Jack announced.

"I will accompany you O'Neill," Teal'c quickly got up from the couch, looking for any excuse to leave. As soon as the door closed Daniel looked Haley up and down studying her brave face. Her arms and legs were crossed and she remained fixedly staring at the TV. The only sign that she was suffering was the tiny quivers she let out every so often while breathing.

"Hale?" Daniel questioned, but she only let out an hmmm in response, not looking at him. "Are you okay?" she still didn't look in his direction, but the deep sigh before she nodded and turned away from him was enough of an answer. Daniel pulled her to his end of the couch and put his arm around her. She collapsed into his side and closed her eyes. "You need to know that you are not alone, do you understand me?" Daniel looked down to see Haley nod again, eyes still shut. "Haley?"

"Yes?" she weakly responded, and closed her eyes again.

"Everything is going to be okay."

In her gut Haley knew nothing would ever be okay again, but Daniel seemed so full of hope, she didn't want to make him feel bad on account of her problems. "I know Daniel. Thank you."

xxxxx

Sam arrived at the same time as Jack and Teal'c did with the pizza. She was starving, and quite relieved that they could sit down and eat right away. Sam followed Jack into the house, but bumped into him when he stopped in front of the living room. Haley was curled up against Daniel's side, while he explained what the pyramids were really built for. His excitement was reflected in her eyes as he animatedly spoke. Jack ran his fingers through his hair and continued towards the kitchen. "Sir," Carter tentatively said, hoping to see if he was alright.

"Eh, eh, eh, Car- Sam, you know the kid's rules," he shook his index finger at her before turning back to the task of getting plates out of the cabinet.

"Jack," Sam slowly spoke, not wanting to cross whatever invisible line she knew she was probably miles away from by now, "if you need to talk…" Sam nervously looked down at her feet before returning to meet his gaze, "I'm here." Jack gave her a small smile, but his eyes still had emptiness to them.

"Alright kids, time for dinner," Jack called into the living room. He waited for Haley to nearly push him over as she made a run for the first slice, but it never happened. She trudged into the kitchen last, drawing strange looks from the adults. "Hay- you hungry?"

"Yeah, I just thought I'd be polite like you're always telling me to."

"Oh…kay." Jack turned back to the pizza and doled out slices for everybody.

Everyone ate in relative silence. Jack and Haley looked like mirror images of one another; both had their heads bowed, avoiding eye contact with anybody. Finally Teal'c broke the silence.

"I am considering joining a bowling league." Daniel choked on his drink, Sam shoved food in her mouth to keep from laughing and one of Jack's eyebrows went up- Teal'c-style. Haley's eyes seemed to broaden for a moment, but she returned to picking at her food. "Do you find this humorous?"

Glances were exchanged, but there was no reply. Finally Jack took a stab. "Is this part of that whole joking thing you've been trying T?" This time Teal'c refused to answer; he just stared stoically at O'Neill. Jack went off on a tangent about Jaffa comedians for a few minutes, until Haley silently cleared off her plate. She had one and a half slices, definitely far from her usual four.

Haley left to retrieve her books. As she and the guys finished eating and cleared off the table Sam called upstairs to Haley. "I'm ready to start when you are-" Before she could finish the sentence the girl was already at the bottom of the stairs looking bored and unexcited at the prospect of math.

"I'm going to take T back to the base," Jack motioned with his thumb towards the door. Daniel plopped himself down on the couch to read a book, hoping that maybe Teal'c would say something deep and inspirational to lighten Jack's mood a bit.

xxxxx

Sam sat with Daniel on the couch, waiting for Jack to get back so she could say goodbye. Haley showed significant signs of improvement and disappeared into her room when Tommy had called. "What's taking Jack so long?" Daniel wondered.

Sam shrugged, "I'm not sure, but I'm not in too big a rush, my dad's actually at General Hammond's playing poker with some old air force buddies in the area." Daniel smiled at the idea of Jacob Carter being so human. It was hard to visually separate him from the Tok'ra culture sometimes. His and Sam's pleasant thoughts were interrupted by rapid thuds on the staircase. Haley excitedly ran into the room, holding her phone.

"Can I go out for a bit?" she questioned, giving Daniel a crooked smile.

"Um, I think that's kind of up to your dad," he nervously replied.

Haley frowned, placing her hands squarely on her hips. "He's not home right now Daniel," she practically growled. Daniel shifted again, anxiously looking towards Sam.

"Why don't you call his cell Hale?" she suggested. _She is so smart_, Daniel smiled to himself.

"Fine!" Haley exasperatedly threw her hands in the air and stalked into the corner of the room. "Can I call you right back? ... Yeah they're making me call my _Dad_." Sam and Daniel exchanged timid smiles, hoping that Jack said yes so they wouldn't see Haley explode. "Hi Daddy… yes she's still here but I'm done… Daddy, can I _please_ talk? … I want to go out with some of my friends… I know I have school tomorrow, but… Thank you!" Haley quickly hung up the phone, letting out a squeal and a hop. "He said 'Do whatever you want,' so I'm going to get going now!" Haley ran to her room to grab a sweater.

"Should we let her leave?" Sam questioned.

"Apparently Jack gave her permission," Daniel shrugged. "Who are we to stand in the way of an extremely anguished filled teenager?"

A stampede of elephants came down the stairs as Haley yelled "bye guys!" and ran out of the house.

"I have a bad feeling about this…" Daniel muttered. Sam nodded along, but maybe seeing her friends would make Haley feel a little better, a little more… real. _God knows her father's not any help_, she regretfully sighed, feeling equally sorry for her colonel.

xxxxx

Jack slowly opened up his door, looking back and forth. He figured that Haley was out with her friends by now. Yeah he knew it was completely irresponsible of him letting her out in her emotional state on a school night, but he just really had trouble being around the kid.

"Jack?" Daniel called from the living room. He and Sam were seated on the couch, obviously talking about him.

"Is she?" Jack pointed to the door.

"About fifteen minutes ago." Jack formed an "O" with his mouth and plopped down in the space between Sam and Daniel.

"Thanks for sticking around Carter."

"Well, you know, I felt bad leaving Daniel alone…" Sam gave a cute little shrug, emitting a smile from Jack.

"Yeah sorry about ditching you, uhhh, Teal'c was just yapping away, you know how he just yaps and yaps and… well you know." There was an uncomfortable silence and Jack reached for a movie on the coffee table in front of him. "Indiana Jones- look it's you Daniel!" Jack pointed to the box and Daniel let out a snort.

"Why don't we watch it?" Sam suggested, hoping it would ease some of the tenseness in the room. Jack gave a "sure why not" nod and put on the movie. Maybe it would take his mind somewhere else for at least a short time.

xxxxx

As the movie ended Jack stretched out his arms, accidentally punching Sam's arm in the process. "Oops, sorry there," he reached out and squeezed her arm, causing her to flush up a little. Daniel looked away, obviously some kind of moment was going on, and he always felt extremely awkward when witnessing one so up close. _When are they going to open their eyes?_ he wondered as the two dopily smiled with one another. Their time was cut short though, because the front door slammed shut, and somebody stumbled on the steps. _This cannot be good_, Daniel sighed as the three adults headed towards the stairs to see Haley sloppily trying to climb them. The brief relief of Indiana's exploits was instantaneously wiped away when Jack realized what was going on.

"What is going on?" Jack questioned. Haley giggled a whispered 'oops' as she slid down the stairs on her stomach.

"I was rooming to my go!" Haley slurred, tripping slightly as she stood up. Her father's arms were crossed, and his feet were in a wide stance. He was angry Sam noticed, taking a few steps back.

"Are you drunk!" Haley shook her head no. "So you're just acting like an idiot for no reason?"

"Hey!"

"You are **fifteen**. What the hell were you thinking?" Haley opened her mouth, but burped before any words were formed. "Just go to your room, I'll figure this out in the morning." She just stood there, staring at him. "NOW!"

"You can't tell me what to do!" she yelled back, stomping her foot. Daniel and Sam exchanged worried glances.

"Oh I can most definitely tell you what to do."

"I'm not one of your stoooopid soldiers!" Haley stomped her foot again.

"You may not be, but you're still my responsibility, and I'll be damned if I let you get away with this kind of shit again. Go to your room NOW!"

"Why do you even care? It's not like you worry about me annnways!"

"Don't make me say it again. Get yourself cleaned up and go to bed," Jack pointed up the stairs. "You're a mess," he muttered, his disappointment seeping out. Haley let out a giant groan and attempted the stairs again. She missed a step and slid down. Sam stepped forward, and pulled her up, helping the girl up the stairs. Jack let out a giant sigh, throwing himself down on the bottom step. Daniel gave him some space for a moment, unsure exactly of what to say or do.

Meanwhile, Sam patiently tried to help Haley into bed. "What were you thinking tonight?"

"I had a time gooood. I feel happy!" Haley threw her arms up in a 'score!' position, most likely learned from her father.

"Honey, no matter what your problems are, drinking is not going to fix them. You'll just have more in the morning," Sam pushed the hair off Haley's face and pulled her covers up. "I want you to promise me that next time you'll talk to me, or Daniel, or Janet, or even Teal'c! He's a pretty good listener you know!"

"Fine Sam, I promise. But how can I talk to you when you're not around? Let me come stay with you," she suggested, making Sam's stomach flip a little.

"Aw, Haley, you know that can't happen. I'm really sorry. But anytime you need me, just pick up the phone and call. You know I don't go anywhere without a phone," Sam smiled down, but was greeted with a scowl.

"He hates me, he's gonna kick me out," Haley mumbled as her eyes fluttered shut.

"Is that why you did this? So you wouldn't have to stay here?" Sam questioned, but Haley was already asleep. _This is not going to be a fun house tomorrow_… Sam groaned thinking about the colonel at work tomorrow. She quietly descended the stairs, unsure of what she would find at the bottom.

"I think I'm going to get going Sir," Sam stated, starting to gather her belongings.

"Carter, you don't have a car, how are you getting home? How'd you even get here in the first place?" Jack turned around the couch, watching her movements.

"My dad dropped me off…" she felt like she was a child again saying that. "Daniel's giving me a ride home." Snapped out of a daze Daniel straightened up and walked towards the closet for his coat.

"My car's on the outside, and I don't need you messing with my truck Daniel. I'll drive her," Jack volunteered.

xxxxx

At first the drive was silent and uncomfortable. Sam watched her friend and CO as his knuckles turned whiter and whiter. What would it take to loosen him up? "S- Jack, I'm sorry about what happened tonight."

"Why should you be sorry? I'm the one that screwed up," Jack retorted.

"Daniel and I shouldn't have let her leave…" Sam stared down at her knees, avoiding eye contact.

"I wanted her out of the house, I felt uncomfortable. I was irresponsible, and for now on I need to put my pain aside and stop worrying about my own damn issues. Whoever the kid is she's my responsibility whether I like it or not."

The car turned onto Sam's street, and she searched for the perfect words before it was too late. "You're not alone…" Definitely not perfect she scolded herself.

"Aren't I Carter? Aren't I?" Jack pulled in front of her house and turned to face her, his eyes glassy and radiating pain.

"No! You have all of us…" she grasped his hand, looked away embarrassed and added, "you have me." Jack caught her eyes and stared directly into her. It was extremely overwhelming, and Sam desperately wanted to break away, but she couldn't.

"That means a lot to me Sam," he whispered, slowly blinking. Jack squeezed her hand and covered it with his other one. "You don't know how much that means…" Sam brushed her empty hand through Jack's hair and then pulled herself into him for a hug. He wrapped his arms around her, taking in the scent of her blonde hair.

"Anytime," Sam responded after what seemed like forever. She leaned back slightly and locked eyes with Jack once more. Leaning closer she placed a light kiss on his cheek. Her lips lingered there for a moment, his ear hearing her every breath. As they were slowly, almost magnetically drawn closer, headlights pulled her attention away. "My dad's home," she quickly whispered, reaching for her purse from the floor. "I'm sorry," she mouthed as she jumped out of the car. Jack closed his eyes, but was startled when Jacob walked over to the car to say hi.

"Thanks for driving her home Jack."

"Anytime," Jack repeated Sam's final words to him before they were interrupted.

"How's everything going at home?"

"Really crappy, rather not talk about it. How was the card game?"

"I got fifty bucks from George."

"Nice job Dad!" Sam exclaimed, pulling her father away from the car.

"I knew Hammond was being overpaid anyways," Jack smiled, but his eyes were still dark and intense, looking right through Jacob towards Sam. "I'll let you two go; it's starting to get chilly out here."

"Have a goodnight," Jacob replied, closing the door. Sam waved, and headed towards her front door, father in tow. _That was too close, even for you Samantha_.

"So tell me about your night Dad."

"I'm more curious to hear about yours…"

xxxxx

Jack woke up to the sound of whimpering coming from the hallway bathroom. _It's 4am, dammit, what now? _Jack sleepily climbed out of bed and shuffled down the hall. He was greeted by the sight of Haley sprawled out on the floor, her cheek up against the cold tiles. A hand touched his shoulder, and Jack aggressively spun around. Daniel was standing behind him with a glass of water. "I found her in here sick about a half an hour ago; she seems to be doing a little better."

Haley opened an eye to see her father's stern face staring down at her. She let out a giant moan and rolled her face into her arm. "Hurts, doesn't it Hale?" Jack sardonically asked. Once again a moan was his only response. "You realize you're still going to school in the morning."

"No, please, no."

"You need to learn to deal with the consequences of your boneheaded actions," Jack leaned down and pulled Haley into a sitting position. Her face was ghostly white. "Go back to bed, try and get some sleep." With that, Jack strolled back into his room, closing the door behind him.

Daniel squatted next to Haley, handing her the water. "Drink up; it'll make you feel better."

She obediently finished the water, and then leaned into Daniel. "You know what's funny?"

"What?"

"I didn't dream tonight. It was amazing. All this-" she waved her hand around the bathroom, "was worth it…"

"Because of the nightmares?"

"Duh Daniel."

"You had those nightmares every night?"

"Lately, yeah." Daniel felt a lump in his throat. He pulled Haley into his arms and felt overwhelmingly protective of her.

"I, um, I used to have nightmares too," Daniel tentatively told her, crossing the bathroom to get a warm washcloth.

"How'd you stop them?"

"It took a while," Daniel handed her the washcloth, "your dad, Sam, Teal'c, they were all supportive. I was never alone, neither are you." Haley let the warmth of the washcloth seep into her face. She knew Daniel was right, except for one detail- she didn't see her dad helping at all. _Daddy_ she laughed, _maybe I should call him Jack now. He'd probably rather me call him colonel or sir._

"Daniel, will you stay a few days longer? Please?" He couldn't resist. Not when tensions were so high and he felt so needed by both of his friends.


	10. Turkey Day

Daniel returned home after the weekend and after a week or so things started to smooth out. While Jack and Haley weren't exactly on the best of terms they were civil to one another, and Haley didn't fight her punishment of spending every moment outside of school wherever Jack was- the base or at home. There was no life outside of school for her. Things never felt bleaker.

Thanksgiving was coming soon, and the end of Haley's punishment came with it. Her first night out with Tommy in ages was coming, and she was pretty excited. If it meant being nice to her stone cold father then that was what she would do.

xxxxx

Sam hobbled around her room on one heel, searching for its partner. "Sammy, almost ready to go?" Jacob called from downstairs. Sam let out a giant sigh; her father was always on her back when it came to getting places on time. She always had trouble figuring out what to wear when pretending that she actually had a life outside of the SGC. Janet and Cassie were hosting Thanksgiving, and Cassie demanded Sam dress up. After trying on most of her closet… twice, Sam had finally decided on a simple plain black dress with a square neck and round spaghetti straps. With a simple black sweater on top it seemed passable. Now if she could only find her black shoe- "Sam?"

She spun around to see her father in the doorway holding up the missing shoe. "Where was-"

"Right at my feet," Jacob smiled as Sam's cheeks flushed up. "NOW are you ready to go?"

"Yes Dad, all set."

xxxxx

"I'll get it!" Cassie yelled as she ran to open the door. A grin spread across her face when she saw Jack holding out an apple pie. She placed the pie on the mail table and threw her arms around Jack. She then grabbed Haley's arm and pulled her inside. "Come on Hay you HAVE to see the new dress I got!" the two barreled up the stairs and Jack could still hear Cassie chattering away. "… I like your nail polish! _Very_ cute!"

Jack carried the pie into the dining room and realized he was the last one to arrive. "Sir, we thought you weren't coming!" Sam smiled, causing a slight smile to tug at the corners of Jack's mouth.

"And miss a free home-cooked meal? I don't think so!" Janet emerged from the kitchen with a bottle of wine.

"Is that all I'm good for Jack?" she asked.

"You're pretty good with the needles!"

"And if you don't shape up I may find some reasons to use them more," she winked, pinching his arm. Jack threw his hands up in the air in an "I surrender" motion. Everyone chuckled and even Teal'c let out a slight smile.

Janet finally brought out the turkey, which Sam volunteered Jacob to cut. Sam went in search of the girls so they could all start eating.

xxxxx

Daniel watched everybody polishing off their plates. Cassie and Haley were at the end of the table excitedly discussing the latest Brad Pitt movie. Sam meanwhile was talking about her latest science project. Janet would nod every now and then, probably understanding _some_ of what Sam was talking about. Jacob kept his eyes fixed on his daughter, dropping in the occasional "of course," "great idea," and "that sounds good!" Jack looked like he was desperately trying to pay attention, but his eyes kept glazing over. Teal'c excused himself to help clear the table. Daniel quickly volunteered as well, and before Sam knew it she had lost half her audience.

"Carter, I'm sorry, I just don't get it."

"Well, sir, it's really quite simple. All you have to really underst-"

"Don't waste your breath kiddo," Jacob interrupted.

"_Dad_," Sam shot him a disgruntled teenager look that Jack recognized from his own disgruntled teen all too well.

"No Sam, he's right. There's no hope for this hollow head," Jack knocked on his temple, making a blank face. Jacob and Sam shared a simultaneous eye roll.

Teal'c walked around the table collecting empty plates, but stopped at Haley's. "Did you not like your meal Haley? Your plate appears to be hardly touched."

"No, it was good. Those, uh, were my seconds. I couldn't eat **that** much!"

Haley let out a nervous giggle as she handed Teal'c her plate. He raised an eyebrow, but continued to make his way around the table.

"Girls, why don't you get the desserts ready?" Janet suggested. When they were both gone, Janet lowered her voice and leaned closer to Jack. "How's she doing?"

"Eh, not too bad. Kinda moody…" Jack twiddled his thumbs and whispered, "still having the nightmares."

"Have you thought about seeking professional help for that?" Daniel wondered, garnering nods from a few of the adults.

"There is no way I'm sending her to a shrink! She just has a lot on her plate to deal with right now, you would too if you found out…" Jack trailed off but shrugged his shoulders.

"Teenage daughters are hard to raise without otherworldly issues getting in the way," Jacob pointed out, getting a twisted face back from Sam. "Not that you weren't always a _pleasure_ Sammy."

"Thanks Jacob for pointing out just how screwed- This planet is!" Jack quickly changed the subject when he saw Cassie and Haley emerging from the kitchen with fresh plates and the deserts.

"Are you saving the world again Jack?" Cassie asked, a slight grin fixed on her face.

"Am I ever _not_ saving the world Cass?"

"Not right now," Haley replied.

"Even superheroes need breaks," Daniel pointed out before Jack could let out a more biting response. The tension had appeared to be gradually building throughout the night, with somebody constantly changing the subject or inserting a witty remark to break it up. Just _a few more hours till the punishment is over_, Jack happily thought. _Maybe then she'll cheer up and the moodiness and nightmares will be a thing of the past_.

Jack's theories were interrupted by the ringing of a cell phone. Everybody reached into their pants or bags, expecting it to be theirs. It was Jacob's. He mouthed _SGC_ before excusing himself from the room. Sam desperately wanted to follow him. If it was something interplanetary related shouldn't she know about it as well? Everybody was quiet as they strained to hear what Jacob was yelling about. "You've _got_ to be kidding me! ... Fine! ... Yes, I'm coming… I'm sorry too… Bye." Jacob sulkily reentered the room to find every eye on him. The only one that really bore through him was Sam's.

"What's going on Dad?"

"I have to get back to the SGC, the Tok'ra are insistent on my immediate arrival…" Jacob had the guiltiest look on his face Daniel decided.

"Alright, well I'll drive you over," Sam said.

"Sammy, I don't want to you to miss the rest of your Thanksgiving. I'll take your car; you meet up with me tomorrow."

"If you have my car how will I get to work Dad?" Sam's voice was as calm as possible, but it was very obvious that she was about to break. "And don't even suggest having somebody pick me up because I am not making them go out of their way because of the _Tok'ra_." She practically spit out the word. "I'm coming with you, and that's that."

Jacob lowered his head and it was clear that she was now talking to Selmac. "Samantha, your father does not wish for your holiday to be ruined. Please let him go, he will not go anywhere without contacting you first. Your father does not want you wasting your night at the military base."

"Fine, go." Sam crossed her arms and turned away from her father.

"Sammy I'm sor-"

"Dad, the sooner you get there the sooner this can be resolved." Jacob tried to give Sam a kiss on the cheek, but she continued staring coolly away from him. He sighed, thanked Janet for the wonderful meal and said his goodbyes.

When he reached Haley he whispered in her ear, "Try not to give your dad too much hell," and left. She absently nodded as she picked apart the piece of pie in front of her.

xxxxx

It took Sam a little while, but she seemed to have calmed down. Either that or she had a killer poker face, Jack mused. "Sam," he came up behind her in the kitchen, placing his hand on her shoulder and she jumped a little.

"Sir, Jack, um sorry. I'm just a little…"

"On edge?"

"Pretty much. Are you taking Teal'c back to the base now?"

"Janet's invited him to stay in the guest room so he can 'have a healthy home cooked breakfast'" he smiled, imitating his friend.

"Well, I guess my room is taken. I guess I can borrow Daniel's car…"

"Oh Sam, just let me give you a ride home."

"I really don't want you going out of your way."

"A whole ten minutes… WOW _such_ an inconvenience. How will you ever make it up to me?" Sam gave a slight smile and a wicked grin spread across his face. "I'm sure I'll find a way eventually," he gave her a playful nudge and her cheeks started to flush.

xxxxx

"I wish they would just get together already," Haley sighed, as she took a sip of coffee. "It's like they're my age sometimes… but even I'm not that lame!"

Janet and Daniel suppressed laughs and Cassie nodded along in agreement.

"Things are complicated. There are many rules that must be followed," Teal'c suggested, even though he didn't truly believe in his own words.

"Rules," Haley stated, "were _meant_ to be broken."

"You sound just like your father," Daniel chuckled.

"There are worse people to sound like," Jack chimed in as he and Sam entered the room.

"Janet thank you for a delightful dinner," Jack gave her and then Cassie a hug. T, Danny Boy, cya tomorrow." Haley and Sam also said their goodbyes, and soon the party was over.

xxxxx

Haley was suspiciously quiet in the car ride home, constantly looking out the back window. Jack figured she was just anxiously awaiting tomorrow. Jack turned the corner to Sam's house and Haley seemed to relax again. Something was definitely off with that girl. "I'm going to walk Sam to the door, don't steal the car or anything while I'm gone." She has that eye roll perfected, Jack thought.

Sam gave Haley a hug goodnight, and proceeded to head to the door. Jack quickly caught up to her, and gave her a bit of a goofy smile. "You know, if you stayed over at my place I wouldn't have to pick you up in the morning…"

Sam opened the door and took a step away. "Goodnight sir."

"Sir? We're still off duty you know…" Jack took a step in as well. "Technically I'm just Jack and you're just Sam."

"You'll never be Just Jack."

"And you'll never be Just Sam." A smile crept onto both their lips and Jack took a step closer. "Daniel and Teal'c both got big hugs goodbye." Sam bit her lip in contemplation and threw her arms around Jack. He didn't feel like ever letting this hug end. Sam reached up and gave him a kiss on the cheek, and then motioned towards the door.

"Happy?" she questioned. He just nodded. "Goodnight Jack, I'll see you nice and early tomorrow morning."

xxxxx

As Jack pulled out of Sam's neighborhood Haley glanced outside the window again. She temporarily relaxed, until it appeared something caught her eye. She gave a slight gasp, causing Jack to hit the brakes. "What is it?" Haley just shook her head, but kept her eyes glued outside the window. "So there isn't a Bugs under my car or anything, right?" Haley shook her head again. Jack continued to drive, but he could see Haley shaking out of the corner of his eye. "What are you so freaked out about?"

"You'll just think I'm crazy," Haley whispered, continuing her vigilance.

"I can't help you if I don't know what's wrong," he insisted.

"Daddy…"

"Hale…"

"Fine," she looked both ways before speaking, "I think we're being followed." Jack glanced out his rearview mirror, but saw no cars behind him.

"I don't see anything."

"They keep reappearing. Every now and then they're gone, but then they're back!"

"Well, what kind of car is it?"

"Umm… it's black, I know that."

"A lot of people have black cars, are you sure it's the same person?"

"YES, I know it. I just do. I knew you wouldn't believe me…"

"I do, but I also think maybe you're just a little confused."

"Daddy, I know what I saw… Let's just forget about it." Haley crossed her arms and returned to watching out the window. That night she had another nightmare. Jack had stopped going in to check on her the past few weeks, letting it pass on its own. She seemed particularly spooked tonight, regardless of whether or not they were really being followed. Jack felt somewhat guilty when her screaming went on for a few more minutes. Finally he entered her room to see her crouching on the floor with her blanket wrapped around her. She was peering through a tiny hole, and facing the window. Jack crouched down next to her, looking in the same direction, trying to see what she was staring at. He slowly pulled the blanket off, and lifted her back onto the bed. She was curled up in a fetal position, her eyes somewhat glazed.

"I had another bad dream," she cried.

"I figured that, but what's with the blanket?"

"I was hiding," she seemed so matter-of-fact.

"From? …"

"When I woke up from my dream something was in my window!" she squeaked out. Jack raised his eyebrow, unsure of how to react. "Daddy, I'm telling you the truth." Haley's eyes widened, "I swear."

"Alright, tell me what you saw exactly," Jack was beginning to feel uneasy. There was no official report on the truth about Haley. Well, whatever truths they knew at least. Or was it lies? Whatever the hell it was only five other people knew- General Hammond, Carter, Daniel, Teal'c, and Frasier. None of them would ever give that information away. So it couldn't be the NID. Even they weren't that good, right?

"All I saw were eyes. And just the feeling of being watched. That's what made me look out the window. Somebody is watching me! Why? Do they know who I am? What if they want to run all kinds of tests on me?" Haley started crying, and Jack pulled her into his arms. He could feel how frail she had become and cursed himself for letting things get this far.

"I will never let anything like that happen to you. I promise. You know I love you, right?"

"You… sniff> do? sniff sniff>" Haley's dark eyes looked like saucers, pouring out tears.

Jack wiped some of the tears off her face, "Of course I do."

"But I'm not yours."

"Listen, there is some confusing stuff going on right now, but you've still got my blood flowing through your veins, and you're my legal responsibility, so like it or not kid, you're mine." It was the first time Jack realized the truth in his words. All this time he had been fighting what Daniel, and pretty much everybody else, had been trying to tell him. The thought of being that vulnerable left him scared shitless. Haley curled up next to him and quickly fell asleep, exhausted from crying. Jack eventually nodded off as well, only to be woken up by the phone ringing.

"Yeah?" he grumbled into the phone.

"Sir, is everything alright?"

"Carter? Everything's fine…" why was she calling him in the middle of the night? Slowly he lets his eyes adjust and realized that it was already morning. "Dammit, I slept in. I'm on my way over now. I'll be fast."

"Oh good, for a moment I thought you forgot about me," Carter nervously giggled.

"Who could ever forget about You?"

"Thanks Sir. I'll see you soon."

"Bye." Jack nudged Haley. "I have to go work now. Do you want to come or wait for your friends to wake up?" Haley opened her eyes and groaned. "You're a free kid now. Remember?" She suddenly bolted up, and a grin spread across her face. "But it's a holiday, why do you have work?"

"The SGC doesn't work around the high school schedule." Jack pushed her back into her bed and left her to sleep. "Call me if you're going out. Leave a message or something if I'm not around."

"Thanks," Haley let out a slight smile. "I love you Daddy."

"Love you too."


	11. Goodbyes and such

"I don't believe this Dad!" Sam cried out at her father.

"Sweetheart, I've been up all night trying to convince them to put this off. They're insistent that I leave with them now or not to return again. If I don't go, our alliance- which is already fragile, as you know- will suffer greatly."

"What is this mission anyways?" Jack asked, really hoping that the Tok'ra weren't trying to rope SG1 into this as well.

"I'm infiltrating one of Baal's compounds…this could take at the very least a few months."

"Months!" Sam's eyes seemed to bug out of her head. "And just how long have you known this mission was coming up Dad?" Jacob didn't respond. "So this visit here, was this some kind of goodbye? Don't you think I had the right to know?"

"Sammy, please. I was planning on telling you. I thought I would be here well past Christmas, New Years, and just the whole holiday season. I just wanted to get in some quality time with you." Jacob reached for Sam's hand. At first she pulled it away from him, but his grip was pretty firm, and she gave in, letting out a giant sigh.

"Will there be any way to contact you while you're gone?" Daniel asked.

"I'm afraid not," Jacob said solemnly.

"Sir, I need to get some things together in my lab," Sam stood up, giving General Hammond her best pleading look, without looking too pathetic. Like all the men in the room he couldn't say no.

"Permission granted Major."

"Thank you sir. Dad, please come find me before you leave."

"You know I will." Sam turned sharply and briskly strode out the room before the tears could come.

xxxxx

"Jack, I'd like to talk with you," Jacob stepped into his office.

"Come to say goodbye?"

"I want to know what's going on with you and my daughter," Jacob had a bit of a menacing look on his face that caused Jack to tighten up.

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm not a fool Jack. I know she cares about you way more than she is supposed to and will ever admit to me. But the fact of the matter is that she does feel this way, and I want to make sure you don't hurt her."

"I would NEVER do anything to hurt Carter, and you know that."

"I hope you're right Jack, because a father can sense these things, and I'll know, even from across the galaxy, if you've done something wrong." Jacob paused and looked at Jack's nervous face. "And I won't hesitate to return and make you suffer," Jacob let out an evil smile, patting Jack on the shoulder. "Be good."

"Yeah, uh, thanks. Tell Baal I say hi."

xxxxx

"Goodbye Dad. I love you," Sam sniffed in some tears as she hugged her father.

"Try not to worry about me kiddo. I'll be fine. I love you too," Jacob kissed his daughter on the forehead and headed towards the gate. He waved goodbye to George and the other members of SG1. By the time he had stepped through the gate Sam was running down the corridors before anybody could see her looking so vulnerable.

xxxxx

Sam sat in her lab feeling very much alone. She hated seeing her father disappear back through the wormhole, into the unknown, for far too many months. She had no idea when she would see him again, or even _if_ she would see him again. There was always that possibility with the Tok'ra. Tears started to fall, and suddenly Sam was gasping for air. _I'm crying_ she realized. Sobbing actually. Maybe even convulsing. Okay convulsing is a strong word, but whatever it was, Sam hadn't cried this way in a very long time. She didn't hear the knock at her door, or it subsequently opening.

Jack walked in to see Sam in pieces. _Oh man_ he thought. It was usually Daniel's job to comfort Sam after Jacob left. Where the hell was the guy? Jack took a deep breath and walked over to Sam. "Are you alright?" Ugh, what a stupid question.

"Not really…" Sam struggled to say between sobs.

"C'mere." Jack sat down and pulled Sam into his arms. She buried her face in his chest, drenching his shirt with her tears.

"It's just not fair. I hate that he has to leave me each time! Why can't he just stay? Why?" Sam looked up at Jack, her eyes wide and still flooded by tears. Jack gently wiped her cheeks.

"I think you know the answer."

"I do! I just hate it! I hate the Tokra!" Sam pounded at Jack's chest and then buried her face again.

"Just think, if it wasn't for them he wouldn't still be around. You wouldn't have this relationship with him. I don't trust them, but you do have to admit they saved his life." Jack brushed his fingers through Sam's hair, pushing some of it behind her ear. Sam felt very vulnerable; she hated showing weakness like this. At the same time she felt safe in Jack's arms, and wasn't about to push his comfort away. Sam looked up again and locked eyes with Jack.

"I want my family."

"We're your family too. SG1. We may not be blood, but hey I think we're a few steps above water, huh?" Sam giggled and rested her chin on Jack's shoulder. He was rubbing her back and decided to give her a kiss on the cheek. Sam tilted her head back and closed her eyes. She brushed her lips against Jack's and then pulled slightly away, but still close enough that their noses were touching and they each could feel the other's careful breaths. Both closed their eyes and stayed like this for a moment until their faces seemed to be magnetically drawn together, and they were kissing. Sam was the first to break away, and rested her head on Jack's chest again. She wiped away at her tears. Suddenly the door slowly opened, and Daniel was standing in the doorway.

"I came to see how you were doing Sam." He noticed that Jack was holding her, and immediately suspected that she must have been pretty upset to warrant an actual hug from Jack O'Neill. "Were you any help Jack?"

"He was Daniel," Sam just about whispered.

"Glad to be of service," Jack patted Sam on the back, and let her go. "I think you'll probably have just the right words Daniel. If you need anything, you know where to find me Carter." Sam nodded as Jack left the room. Sam felt shivers wash over her body and Daniel noticed her quickly shudder.

"Aw Sam, come here," Daniel pulled her into a hug. "Your heart is racing, are you okay?"

"Not right now, but I think I will be." Sam closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She wanted to tell Daniel everything- how she felt so all alone, how Jack made her feel so weak and so strong at the same time, how she tried to quell her grief with a kiss. Instead she felt the tears start to flood her eyes again.

"I know what it's like to have no family nearby- heck even on this planet! But we can have each other, and be our own family."

"It's funny, that's what the Colonel said to me, too," Sam smiled.

"Jack? I'm impressed. What are you doing tonight?"

"I figured I'd stay here, get some work done."

"Come to the movies with Janet and me tonight."

"Oh, no, I don't want to be the third wheel," Sam shrugged.

"You will NOT be the third wheel. Come on, please!" Daniel gave Sam his puppy dog look. She rolled her eyes, but gave in.

"Fiiiiiine," she sighed.

xxxxx

Jack was going to be all alone tonight. Haley had left him a message saying she was going to the mall and then her friend Monica's house. Janet had somehow convinced him to join her and Daniel at the movies. If it's a chick flick I swear I'm leaving, Jack decided. He stuffed his candy into the inside of his jacket before going inside. As he headed into the theater he searched out Daniel or Janet. Sure enough he found them immediately, but something else stopped his heart a little. There was Sam, sitting next to Janet, eyes beginning to widen, and a small smile creeping across her face.

"Daniel, Janet, _Sam_," he tipped his head and found his seat at the end of the isle, which was conveniently right next to Sam.

"Janet said to save a seat, but I didn't realize…" Sam trailed off and looked at her friends who were pretending to try and solve the celebrity riddle on the screen. Mets Rucio was not that hard to decipher, especially for a master linguist.

Jack began to pull his contraband candy out of his coat and get comfortable. Sam stifled a giggle when she saw that he had even managed to sneak in two bottles of soda. "You know, in case I got thirsty. Would you like one?" Jack offered it to Sam. "I know you usually drink diet, but we got a good workout at… y'know… this week."

"Sure s-Jack. Thank you."

"No soda for me?" Daniel asked, after he became tired of staring at Tom Cruise tidbits on the screen.

"Smuggle your own stuff or pay up to the vendors Danny Boy," Jack smiled. Janet let him take a sip of her soda. Sure was big enough for such a petite woman, Jack mused. The movie started and everybody quieted down. After a few minutes in Sam had the distinct feeling she was being watched. She looked out the corner of her eye to see Jack smiling at her.

"What?" she mouthed. Jack just shook his head as if to say 'nothing'. Stealing a quick glance at Daniel and Janet he saw that they were both engrossed in the movie. Jack placed his hand on top of Sam's and pulled it towards him. For the rest of the movie he played with her fingers, rubbed her palm, and just held onto her hand. It was so much fun that they both found themselves hoping the movie didn't end. When the credits started to roll Sam quickly pulled away before Daniel or Janet caught onto what had been going on all night.

"It's still early, how about we all go back to my house for some dessert?" Janet suggested. Everyone agreed, but first Jack wanted to call and check up on Haley. He wasn't thrilled to find her cell phone was turned off. He called the house and she didn't pick up there either.

"Why don't we move this little shindig to my place," Jack suggested, hoping to track down his daughter while keeping his current company. Once again everybody agreed, and met up at the O'Neill residence.

xxxxx

"She's not here yet. I thought she forgot about our plans," Monica Clark nervously rambled into the phone. She really hoped that Haley wasn't going to get into trouble for the slip up, but her mom got to the phone first and informed Haley's dad that she hadn't yet arrived. "I'm really sorry Mr. O'Neill, but I'll tell her to call you as soon as she gets here."

Jack slammed down the phone. "Dammit, I have no clue where she could be."

"Is it possible that she's with her boyfriend right now?" Daniel suggested, immediately regretting it. Jack's face turned a deep shade of red and it looked like he was going to crush the phone. He stormed up to her bedroom to find her address book.

"What the hell is Tommy's last name?" Jack growled. Daniel picked up a post-it note next to the phone with Tommy's name in a heart and his phone numbers listed on it. As he dialed, Janet placed her hand on his arm to try to calm him down.

"I'm sure there's a logical explanation for this. Cassie and I have had these mix ups all the time." Jack just grumbled in response.

Tommy answered his phone with a whisper. "Hale, I'm in a movie I'll call you back when it's over." Rather than respond and let Tommy know who he was talking to Jack hung up the phone. She wasn't even with her boyfriend.

"Alright, I'll deal with her when she gets home. For now, let's have some cake," Jack decided, pushing down his furious feelings, not wanting to make his friends suffer. Or make Carter uncomfortable.

xxxxx

"Goodnight Jack, call me if you need anything," Daniel said as he closed the door behind him. Sam was reaching for her coat, when she felt it tugged out of her arms. She turned around to see Jack propped up against the wall, his arms crossed and a tight smile on his face. She gave him a puzzled 'what are you doing' look as he let the coat fall onto the floor. No words were spoken as Jack pulled Sam towards him and proceeded to kiss her.

When they finally stopped for air Sam asked, "What was that for?"

"I've wanted to do that all day. I figured the SGC wasn't the BEST of places to continue what had been started earlier…" Jack looked down at Sam to study her reaction. Her face was flushed, puzzled, but underneath it… happy? He sure hoped happy. "Listen, if I pegged this all wrong, I'm really sorry. If earlier was just about a comfort thing… I understand, I really-" before Jack could finish his thoughts Sam had returned his kiss. Even she was shocked by her own behavior. Jack led her to the couch, and Sam tried to figure out what she wanted to say to him.

"We're breaking some major rules here," wow, she really wished that wasn't the first thing out of her mouth. She sounded so… stick-in-the-mud? Maybe. Argh!

"I haven't broken a rule in a long time!" Jack proudly exclaimed. "Aren't I due? And if I am, then you _certainly_ are." They both shared a smile, and Sam leaned back into Jack's arms.

"If we really do this what's to say it's not going to blow up in our face and destroy SG1?"

"Because it won't. Anyways, I'd like to think we could handle something like that. Seriously Sam, neither of us have had the best of luck in the relationship department, but I promise I won't take over any planets or anything." That last remark won Jack an elbow in the ribs. "Oof, easy there major!"

"You know, I can build devices unknown to mankind, but I can't even figure out how to have a working relationship."

"Nobody can be perfect at everything Carter, even you," Jack squeezed her shoulders and turned her around so she was facing him. "Sam, we'll make this work, I can promise you that. Plus," he winked, "your father will hunt me down from across the universe if I make you shed a tear." Sam's laughter was interrupted by the telephone. He raised his finger to her, indicating it wouldn't take long. "Hello? … Hi Monica…"

"Mr. O'Neill, I just thought you should know I spoke to some of my friends who were supposed to go to the mall with Haley today and they said that she never showed up. They thought she forgot about them and her phone was off so they went without her."

"Alright, thanks for calling me Monica. Have a goodnight… Thanks, goodbye." Jack hung up the phone and proceeded to call General Hammond. "Sir, I'm sorry to be calling so late, we have a situation… Haley is missing."

xxxxx

TBC... I hope you're enjoying it so far. I've got a ton more chapters written out, I'll post them as I get feedback :)


	12. So This is the Game We're Playing

Chapter twelve! Alright yes, I wrote it a while ago, but posting is exciting. I promised I'd post if there was proof of people reading, so here it is! Thanks to everybody who wrote reviews, esp. Emerald Green Queen. I hope everybody's been enjoying it, and I'm trying to keep my eye on the tenses, but do let me know my weak spots, constructive criticism always helps! So this should be another three or four chapters posted today. ENJOY!

xxxxx

REPOSTED, a paragraph was missing, sorry!

xxxxx

Sam thought it would be best if she drove Jack to the base- he seemed pretty frazzled, rightfully so, she added.

"Last night she told me that she was being followed, and thought somebody was watching her. At the time I thought she was just losing it. I should've paid more attention, how could I let this happen?"

"It's not your fault, nobody besides General Hammond, Janet and SG1 knew the truth about Haley. It can't be the NID. How could it be?"

"Last night she had another nightmare- when she was convinced she was being watched. She fell asleep in my arms, and you know what I thought? It's like when she was a little kid. And then I remembered, she was _never_ a little kid. Those were all false memories. Here I am getting all mushy over stuff that never even happened!" Jack took a deep breath, and felt his eyes start to glass over. No, I am not going to get worked up over this, he told himself. Sam reached over and squeezed his hand. "Sometimes," Jack paused, closing his eyes, "I hate her for being so real, and then I hate myself for feeling that way. But in another way it's like I'm being given another chance, yet I missed all the good stuff, the real stuff. I'm so torn between letting the lies take me over. They did once. Obviously I had to be pretty naive to even be that brainwashed in the first place. Oh God Sam, I haven't felt this overwhelmed in years. I can't think straight, everything inside of me wants to block the world out and do my best brick wall impression."

"You can't do that, pushing the pain deeper doesn't make it go away," Sam lectured, not wanting to sound naggish, but mostly afraid that she would lose him if he attempted this.

"I'm not. I'm really trying not to this time. Do you know why?" she shook her head questioningly. "Because of you. You're keeping my head above the water." This time Jack squeezed Sam's hand and brought it up to his face, kissing her palm. If at all possible Sam both relaxed and tightened at the same time. Right before the phone interrupted them she had been trying to decide if pursuing a relationship with Jack was a good idea.

"Jack…" Sam took a deep breath, "we're going to find her and bring her home, together. I'm in this with you, no matter what. We'll figure something out, I promise you that."

"I don't want you doing this out of guilt, I'm perfectly capable of handling this situation on my own-"

"You're doing it! You're trying to close yourself off, and that is not going to happen. I've made up my mind and it has nothing to do with guilt. This is about me loving you and wanting to help you find your child." Sam stopped and realized what she had just said. Instantly she wished she had just kept her mouth shut and driven. Eyes glued to the road she tried to ignore Jack's gaze.

Love? He thought. Wow, he knew that he was crazy about her, and hoped that on some level she felt the same way, but he'd have never guessed that she loved him. Cool! Not another word was spoken as they made their way into the mountain. Sam parked the car and sat for a moment staring forward at the dashboard. Jack got out and walked around the car to Sam's side, where she was still seated. He opened the door and pulled her out, she came willingly, still avoiding his gaze.

"Look at me Sam," Jack held onto her shoulders after nudging her chin to face him. Her eyes were round and fearful. "I could not be happier about you and I. And I feel the same way about you too, but it just seems wrong to say them under such… depressing circumstances. You know everything you feel for me I feel back a thousand times more, and I would much rather tell you that during a happy moment-" before Jack could finish Sam squeezed into him and was holding back tears. "Oh Sam, I'm so sorry-"

"That's not it. You're right. I take it back," she gave a little smile, "but I just wish things weren't always so melodramatic for us. Just once I'd like to be upset over something stupid like ruining dinner, not losing people we care about."

"Things are going to change Sam. Once I get Haley back, I've had enough. Look how many times we've saved this damn planet and so many others. What have we gotten for it? Heartbreak, death, no lives! It's all going to change after this, I can promise you that."

xxxxx

Teal'c entered the commissary to find Jack sitting alone in the corner poking at his jello. It had been nearly a week without any trace of where Haley could be. General Hammond had been reluctant to report her missing to the authorities in case it truly was the NID involved. Instead, after much deliberation, Hammond and SG-1 had decided to go about their normal business, trying not to bring too much attention. Jack had called Haley's school and informed them that she was staying with a relative for an unknown period of time and was being tutored. There was no evidence of Haley being taken, or of her running away (which Jack feared was a possibility). It was as if she had just vanished into thin air. Jack had promised Sam that he wouldn't bottle everything up, but this made him very grumpy, and a great deal of the base smartly chose to keep their distance from him.

Teal'c took some food and joined his friend. "O'Neill, is this seat occupied?"

"Now it is," Jack replied. Teal'c gave him a questioning look. "It means sit down T."

"We are scheduled to go off world this afternoon."

"Yes, I was at the briefing too," Jack was losing his patience.

"Perhaps it would be best if we ate in silence." Teal'c realized that there was no way he could hold a conversation with O'Neill in this mood and enjoyed a quiet meal over talking anyways.

"Thank you."

xxxxx

"Sir, Major Carter requests you go to her lab before getting ready for the mission," an airman informed Jack as he was heading towards the locker room.

"Carter probably has some gadget thing that will help with the mission or blahhhh," Jack mumbled as he strode away from the airman. Jack knocked on the door of the lab, but there was no reply. Jack let himself in and figured Carter was probably just down the hall or something. He settled down on a stool and tried his hardest not to touch any of the knick knacks on her table. If he broke anything he'd definitely be dead meat. Suddenly he was grabbed from behind and his eyes were covered. The stool was spun around and a pair of lips was attacking Jack. "Captain Grayson?" The assailant slapped his shoulder and backed away.

"You better be joking," she said as a satisfied grin came across his face.

"Me, joke? Never."

"Okay funny boy, we have to go get ready for our mission." Jack pulled her into his lap and held onto her tightly.

"Was there something you actually needed Carter?" she wiggled out of his grasp and stood up.

"Just," she kissed his cheek, "to cheer you up before we head out." Jack sighed and pulled her into a hug.

"Thanks. I definitely needed that."

"Sam, can you use that supercharge battery thing for my camcor-" Daniel stopped when he saw Sam and Jack in a pretty tender looking hug. Sam walked over to Daniel trying to look as casual as possible.

"Sure Daniel, give that to me." So this is the game we're playing, Daniel thought, let's all pretend nothing is going on.

"I'll uh, meet you in the gate room. If you don't mind carrying it," Daniel fumbled with the camcorder as he handed it to Sam. "Thanks again," he called as he left the lab. Sam stifled a laugh, but couldn't stop the idea that it could have been anybody else entering her lab unannounced.

"I know what you're thinking. Daniel's the only one who never knocks," Jack assured her, opening the door again. "I'll see you in a few minutes." Jack kissed Sam on the forehead. "Thank you."

xxxxx

"Carter, you and Daniel head east, see if you can find anything, Teal'c and I will go west. If you don't find what you're looking for in two hours contact me."

"Yes Sir," Carter nodded and the team went their separate ways. As Carter and Daniel searched for the temple that was supposed to contain something significant Daniel had been researching he nudged her arm. "What is it?"

Daniel gave Sam a knowing look and waited for Sam to say something, anything. She never responded so he finally spoke up. "What's going on between you and Jack?"

Sam fought a small smile tugging at her lips. "Colonel O'Neill? What do you mean?"

"Don't play coy with me, and don't give me that military bullshit. Come on Sam, you can tell me anything, don't you trust me?" Oh he was good with the guilt.

She sighed before carefully deciding what to let Daniel know. "The col- Jack and I have been spending a lot of time together lately…"

"I knew it!" Daniel smiled and gave Sam a little push. "Wait a minute, _that's_ why he's been so grouchy lately!"

"HEY!"

"Let me finish- it's your doing. You're not letting him bottle everything up like he usually does. How did you do it?"

"I don't know…"

"Well you have been known to be persistent when you want to," Daniel chuckled.

"I guess I have my ways," Sam smiled thinking back on the past week and her relentless efforts to make Jack smile. "Daniel,"

"Yes?"

"Where do you think she is?"

"Oh wow. I honestly haven't got a clue. If she left on her own she would've taken a backpack, clothes, money, I don't know. If somebody took her wouldn't they contact Jack by now for ransom or something…? That is… if they want a ransom. But if it was a complete sicko there would have to be some sort of evidence. A fight maybe? Somebody seeing Haley leave with them? I don't know! I mean her friends saw her walking into a classroom to wait for a teacher and that was the last they saw of her. The teacher said Haley wasn't there when he got there. It drives me crazy that that's it!" Daniel took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "I'm so worried about her."

"Me too," Sam whispered. "I just wish we knew where to look for her… Do you think we'll ever find her?"

"I try not to think about that," Daniel sighed, feeling a twinge of pain in his stomach.

"Daniel I found something," Jack's voice came through the radio.

xxxxx

"This isn't Goauld. I believe it's Asguard." Daniel ran his fingers across the markings on the lone wall standing in the open field. "This could take me some time to translate."

"Can you just take pictures of it and bring it home?" Jack asked.

"Actually yes. There doesn't appear to be anything else here to look at."

"Okay you take your pictures, do your thing, and then we get to go home in time to eat a real meal," Jack smiled at Sam hoping that she shared his same thoughts.

"Chinese?" she mouthed behind Daniel and Teal'c. Jack grinned and nodded. This mission wasn't so bad after all. It took his mind off of all the other crap going on, he could get used to getting back to work.

xxxxx

"Fight you for the last spare rib," Jack poked Sam in her ribs.

"What'd you have in mind?" Sam giggled as he pushed her onto her back. They had been sitting in front of the TV watching The Simpsons and eating their take-out on the coffee table. Jack stared down at her and she looked up nervously. "What are you thinking?" He leaned over her, trying to decide how she would react to this.

"Well if you can… protect your ribs I'll give you the last one," Jack carefully worded, confusing Sam. Haha, she's the one confused for once, he thought. Jack began to tickle Sam and she couldn't hold in her laughter. Out of reflex Sam's leg kicked out and, very ironically she reflected, accidentally kicked him in the rib. He let out a loud "oof," and fell to the floor. Sam took the rib and enjoyed every last bite.

"Here, take some more fried rice," Sam piled food onto Jack's plate. He reached his arm out for her to pull him off the ground. Instead he pulled her down.

"Sam, stay tonight?"

"I thought you'd never ask," she smiled kissing his chest where she had previously kicked him.


	13. The Key to what's going on

Short chapter, but I think you'll understand why :) (and I don't really watch Buffy so no worries that I'm stealing any ideas, except I later found out the term might be similar, but that happens a lot in stories, whatev!) I **did** however have that idea of a character just appearing out of nowhere from Buffy, but that was the farthest the inspiration went. Okay okay on with the story!

xxxxx

"Well, it appears to be some sort of message board," Daniel informed Hammond and his team after a little over a week of working on the translations.

"What?" Jack spat out.

"I guess it's some sort of mutual meeting place for the Asguard- I think- to leave messages for one another."

"So what exactly does it say?" General Hammond questioned.

"Well, it appears that the Asguard do not all live in perfect harmony. There are different, um, groups with different beliefs, different policies. They are searching for a way to save their race, but they don't seem to have the same morals as Thor and the other Asguard we've met." Daniel furrowed his brow, trying to explain what was going on. "This group speaks of running tests on humans and other species as if they were lab rats. The wall marks their progress in finding the answers they seek. What I can only assume is that most recently one of these groups created somebody or something as some sort of key. They carry secrets of Asguard technology that can be used in harmful ways, so the Asguard High Counsel managed to steal this key. Apparently, as well as being a wonderful weapon this person holds all the information the Asguard have formed on helping to save their race. The High Counsel may be currently hiding them in order to keep the information out of the hands of these bad guys who helped create it."

"Say again?" Jack asked, completely and utterly lost.

"The bad guys made some person basically into a key. The good guys got their hands on the key and they have hidden them for now so that the bad guys cannot use the information to harm anymore innocent people."

"Thank you," Jack nodded, understanding a _little_ bit more.

"What does this all mean?" Sam questioned.

"Well, the 'bad guys' have been trying to track down this… _key_, and according to the last message a group known as the Gormaan were getting closer. They left the coordinates of their planet. I think we should go there, and find out all that we can," Daniel suggested to the General.

"Seeing as we haven't been able to get in touch with Thor for a while, Sir, I think this mission could help improve our relations with the Asguard," Jack added.

"SG-1, you leave tomorrow at 0800," with that General Hammond said his goodbyes to the team and headed back for his office. He had an odd feeling about this mission, but something told him to let the team go. He scratched his head, wondering when things got so complex.

xxxxx

Sam awoke in the middle of the night to see a dark figure hunched over the windowsill. She walked over to join him, running her fingers down his bare back. "Jack? Are you alright?" He shook his head and she could feel the tenseness in his body. Jack pulled Sam into his arms and it was then she realized that he had tears in his eyes. In a way it scared her to see him so vulnerable. It sent the same shivers of pain as seeing an open flesh wound on his body. "Let's talk about it," Sam led Jack back towards the bed and pulled him down. She lied down next to him, her elbow propping her side up.

"Sometimes it hurts just to breathe. I don't know how I'm going to get through the day… How could I have let myself get like this? Not again, dammit," Jack raised a fist up, "not again."

Sam rested her head on Jack's chest hoping to keep her tears from falling onto him. "I'm so sorry, but accepting Haley was the right thing to do. I can't even begin to understand how much it hurts to lose not even one but two children, but I promise you it's healthier to let out these feelings."

"Everything's so much easier when I force it down-"

"Easier, not safer. I know it hurts, but we all have to go through pain. I **promise **you I will be here to help you through this. It will get better, I promise you." The two laid still for a few minutes until Sam noticed a small smile starting to appear on Jack's face. "What is it?"

"You're so much smarter than I am," he encircled her in his arms, pressing her head against him.

"You know that's-"

"The absolute truth. And that's one of the many reasons I love you." Sam lifted her head, her blue eyes huge and nearly bulging out. "You heard me," he stiffly smiled.

"I thought you were waiting for better circumstances…"

"I'm beginning to wonder if the circumstances will ever be better. Besides, you promising to always be there for me seem to be pretty good, don't you think?" Sam silently nodded, her eyes softening a bit.

"Well, I love you too," she responded after being unable to come up with anything better to say. Jack flipped her over so that he was now on top.

"What's that? I don't think I was able to hear you," he said before laying kisses all over her neck.

"I love you."

"What? I'm sorry, I missed that. Once more?"

Sam started giggling, "I love you, you idiot!" his lips finally left her neck and met hers.

"Well I think this is cause enough to celebrate…"

xxxxx

The planet of the Gormaan was dark and chilly. It seemed they had been wandering around for nearly an hour now, trying to find some sign of inhabitation. It had taken them a little over a day to travel towards the mountains in the distance. Jack really wished they had sent out a UAV. He trudged along behind Daniel, who was attempting to use the barely visible stars to find his way. Jack stifled a yawn, but Carter was the only one who noticed.

"Up all night again Sir?"

"Something kept me awake Major."

"Oh? What would that be?" Sam was definitely pushing his buttons. He looked ahead to see Daniel gazing at the sky and Teal'c fidgeting with all the navigating equipment Daniel had given him to hold. Jack gave Sam a playful push, but her balance was off and she tripped over a rock, falling back.

Oh shit, Jack thought as he reached too late to catch Sam. Something in front of her shimmered and she disappeared into thin air. "Carter?" Jack called out. "Carter?" Still no response. "Sam?"

Daniel took a few steps towards the site of Sam's disappearance. One more step and he disappeared from Jack's vision. Jack shrugged at Teal'c and the two stepped forward to find out what this thing was.

Jack's first thoughts were of a very fuzzy memory that he still had trouble pulling. It was of an Asguard cave. This time there weren't dozens of the tiny grey guys swarming around him. Then he saw Sam sitting on the ground reaching for her first aid kit. She had a nice little scrape on the front of her hand.

"Geeze, Carter, I'm really sorry."

"If it hadn't been for your complete lack of unprofessionalism we probably wouldn't have found our way in," Daniel stated.

"But can we find our way out again?" Sam asked.

"Let's just take this step by step here. Daniel, let's find this… _key_ and get out of here so we can bring it to Thor and his buddies."

The four wandered through the tunnel until they heard noises. They carefully crept in the direction of the noise until something caught Teal'c's attention.

"O'Neill," he pointed to a corridor that forked to the left and had less light than the one they were in. Daniel and Sam let out slight gasps as they saw humans and creatures that seemed very similar to humans in small cages. They were all enraged with the sight but Jack knew that he couldn't do anything just yet. This was purely recon until they found that key.

"Jack they're caged up like lab rats," Daniel protested.

"I'm sorry, but we can't afford to start any trouble yet. Maybe if we have time we can come back for them, but I'm not making any promises. The best thing we can do is get out of here and send Thor the coordinates. We need to find this key."

There had to be a few hundred of these small cells. SG-1 kept walking until a small sob caught all their attention. "Please, I don't know what you're talking about. Just leave me alone already!" Jack's heart stopped, it couldn't be what he thought it was. He motioned for them all to fall back at the sound of a second voice.

"You are a stubborn creature, but we will break you…" as SG-1 hid behind a nearby wall the sound of the second voice became inaudible. Teal'c placed his hand on Jack's shoulder, hoping that he would not do anything irrational and blow their cover. Light footsteps passed them, the little grey creature not thinking to look down the dark corridor behind him. As soon as he was out of sight Jack ran back to the last cell. Curled up in a ball against the back corner was a girl, sobbing quietly into her knees. No, this can't be. I'm seeing what I want to see, Jack thought as he took a few steps away. Carter reached through the bars of the cell and lifted up the girl's head.

"Of all the places…" Daniel muttered before an idea hit him. "_Haley is the Asguard key_."


	14. Plan of action

Haley couldn't quite believe her eyes. Standing in front of her was her father, Sam, Daniel, and Teal'c. The astonishment in her eyes matched Jack's. "I don't believe this," she whispered.

"How do we get her out?" Jack wondered.

"It seems the cells are closed in by an electromagnetic device that-"

"CARTER!"

"Sir?"

"Just do what you have to do to get her out of that," Jack sniped.

Somehow Carter got the door to work, Jack didn't feel like trying to think through what she had managed to maneuver and nearly blow up and etc. All he cared about was the fact that the door was open and he could get inside. His body filled with dread as he debated whether or not to accept that this was really his daughter. When she looked up at him with those frightened dark brown eyes he instinctively gathered her into his arms and took her from the cell.

"Daddy?" she confusedly questioned. "This can't be real. This isn't real. I'm having another dream, I know it," she muttered to herself.

"No it's really me," he gently said. Haley started crying, but didn't fight Jack as he carried her down the cavern. Carter took point and Daniel and Teal'c watched their backs. Jack expected a big fight to get Haley out of there, but as Teal'c later pointed out, nobody knew they were they, so their security was very minimal. Jack still felt like things were too easy. In the back of his mind something just wasn't right.

Teal'c volunteered first watch that night so Jack could watch over Haley. She had been sleeping for hours now, which clearly made Jack uneasy. Sam and Daniel sat by his side, urging him to get some rest so they could quickly get home as early as possible in the morning.

Two hours later Teal'c found everybody asleep. He chose not to wake them up so that they could all sleep; he still had plenty of energy left. At 500 hours he turned around quickly when he heard footsteps heading in the opposite direction of their camp. "Where are you going?" She ignored him. Teal'c caught up with her in a matter of seconds and held onto her arm.

"I know you're not real. I know you're not real. I know you're not real," she mumbled to herself.

"I am indeed very real. As are you, O'Neill, Major Carter, and Daniel Jackson."

"I know I'm imagining this. If I just return to them now they won't hurt me too badly."

"Did you attempt to leave once before?" Teal'c pushed on her shoulder slightly and immediately she sat down, still refusing to look him in the eye.

Haley traced figure eights on the ground, her eyes getting heavier. "The last time I imagined you saving me they punished me. It was really bad, I'm not going to let that happen again. I won't live through it!" she started to sob and Teal'c pulled her into a hug.

"You are not imagining things. We have come to rescue you and return you to your home." Jack stepped out of the tent in time to find Haley passed out in Teal'c's arms. "O'Neill, I believe we should leave soon." Jack quietly nodded and took Haley from Teal'c. Hopefully it would only take another two or three hours to get back. He'd bring Haley to the infirmary; Janet would work her magic and give him back the girl. Where he went from there he didn't have a clue.

xxxxx

Haley was immediately taken to the infirmary upon her return to the SGC. With the exception of her brief encounter with Teal'c she had been unconscious since a few minutes after her rescue. Jack was breathing down Janet's neck asking her question after question until Hammond ordered him to report to the briefing room. Janet thanked her nurse for secretly relaying her SOS message to the General.

"They must have beamed her onto their ship, like Thor does, so there really was no way to stop them, right?" Daniel suggested.

"So how would we stop the Gormaan from doing that again DanielJackson?"

"Good question, T. How can I protect her?" Jack asked.

"I have an idea Sir," Sam tentatively suggested. Jack nodded at her to continue. "I think I can rig up a device from some of the few Asguard items we've been given that could possibly link somebody to Haley. If you're within fifty feet of her and she's beamed up you can follow her. That would, of course, require twenty-four hour surveillance."

"I can handle that-"

"Colonel, you will do nothing of the sort, we'll post guards for you," General Hammond stopped him.

"We could help," Carter volunteered.

"It'd be like on a mission, we all take shifts," Daniel added.

"I too would like to partake in watching the young O'Neill," Teal'c stated.

"I think many people around here would be more than happy to help protect Haley," Hammond said. Jack smiled, but felt guilty that he needed everybody to help him with his responsibility. "How long will it take you to make this device, Major?"

"It shouldn't take me more than an hour. If I just use-"

"Eh, eh, Carter, just start working on it. You can explain your geniusness later," Jack shooed her out of the room.

"Sir, I don't think 'geniusness' is a word- ALRIGHT I'm going!" she said, as she was being pushed through the doorway.

xxxxx

"So you really think this device will work Sam?" Daniel questioned as they were walking down to give Haley the device.

"It should. This bracelet has a transceiver that connects to this little device-"

"That looks like a car remote," Daniel noticed.

"I guess," Sam smiled. "If she's beamed anywhere and we hit this red button, it kind of resembles the panic button in a way, not only will it send whoever is holding this device to the same coordinates it will also send an SOS signal to the SGC."

"Sam, your brilliance never ceases to amaze me," Daniel gushed and Sam's cheeks reddened. "It was really quite simple Daniel; all I had to do was take-" her explanation was interrupted by a scream ripping through the corridors of the SGC. The two locked eyes and sprinted to the infirmary. When they arrived a very pale Jack was trying to calm Haley while Janet was checking her vitals.

"Carter did you finish that beamer thingy yet?"

"Yes Sir. It's right here, it was actually quite easy to make, I actually have Siler working on making more receivers for everybody on watch."

"That's wonderful, please just put the device on her Major." Sam reached for Haley's trembling hand to clip on the bracelet. At that moment she could fully understand Jack's snappiness with her. She was feeling uncomfortable watching Haley as well.

"Janet, can we just go home already? If we leave soon I can order in some dinner."

"I've kind of been craving macaroni and cheese," Haley whispered.

"Kraft?" Jack questioned. Haley's eyes lighting up was all the response he needed. "See Doc? I have cooking to do. It's getting late. You know how demanding these kids can be…"

"FINE Colonel. Get out of here. Your first shift of guards will be arriving at 000 hours."

"Thank you thank you thank you. I'll make this up to you somehow!"

"Next time you have a post-mission physical I'll remember that," she slyly warned. Jack held in his best 'd'oh!' and decided to get out of there quickly.

"Carter would you mind helping Haley get out of here while I get my car?"

"Sure Sir." Haley had been rescued in tattered clothes that begged to be disposed of. She had since been wearing a hospital gown.

"I'll give you some scrubs to wear home," Janet suggested.

"I have some clothes in my quarters," Haley said, slowly sitting up, but regretting it as her head started to spin. "Would you mind getting them for me Sam?"

"I'll send somebody to get them," Janet offered. Right now Sam couldn't take her eyes off of Haley, and she wasn't quite sure if she wanted the girl to know that yet.


	15. Ideas, Discoveries, Mac and Cheese

"Why is everybody watching me?" Haley asked Sam while Jack puttered around the kitchen. "It's kind of creepy."

Sam struggled for the right words to say. "Well, um… you see that bracelet I gave you?"

"Yeah, it's kinda ugly- no offense- but do I have to keep it on long?"

"For a little while, yes. We can't take our eyes off of you until we find a way to prevent you from disappearing again."

"You mean in thin air… like… like when they took me?" Sam nodded and immediately regretted saying anything as tears started to well up in Haley's eyes. "So people are just going to watch me 24/7?"

"Yes."

"What about when I sleep?"

"Somebody, a highly trained officer, will be on guard from the SGC."

"What about when I shower!" Sam gave a brief smile, Haley's voiced squeaked at that last part.

"It will be a female officer, either me or somebody else. We'll work something out, maybe you can talk to us the whole time so we don't have to watch but will know you're there. Don't worry about things like that Haley. Now's not the time to let the little things embarrass you."

"The little things!" she cried and jumped up from the couch. As Sam watched her run up the stairs she realized that she couldn't give Haley the privacy she wanted right now. Instead Sam followed her into her room and sat at the edge of her bed. Haley was lying on her stomach, her face buried deep in the pillow, sobbing. Sam rubbed her back, hoping to calm her down.

Haley slowly turned her face out from the pillow. "I hate this! First I find out I'm not even a real person and now my whole life is being taken away from me. It's not fair. IT'S NOT FAIR!"

"Life's not fair," a voice interrupted from the doorway. Haley sat up to see her father in the doorway. "I of all people can tell you that. There's no point in wasting your tears when we should be celebrating the fact that you're home. Now come on, your mac and cheese is waiting." Jack extended his arm to Haley and pulled her off the bed.

xxxxx

"Shish iz amerzin," Haley mumbled with a spoonful of macaroni in her mouth. Jack couldn't help but smile, but still had to put out that stern father image by reminding her not to talk with her mouth full. After finishing her first serving, Haley suddenly looked very serious and looked her father straight in the eye. "When can I tell my friends where I am and go back to school?"

"The kid wants to go back to school? Y'hear that Sam?" Jack nudged Carter with his elbow, trying to avoid the main question.

"Daddy?"

"Yes daughter?"

"I want to see them. Or at least talk on the phone."

"I don't think you can do that right now Hale. You need to keep up the story of being sent away to _Aunt Karen's_ for a while."

"But don't you think I would talk to my friends from there?" Haley's voice started to grow more agitated. Sam refilled her bowl of macaroni and cheese hoping that the food would soon reoccupy her.

"How's this?" Jack decided to bargain. "I'll let you write letters, but I have to give them a quick look over first, okay?"

"NO!" she squealed this time. "For crying out loud, I want to have some privacy!"

"Maybe not your father, what if it was just a random officer from the SGC?" Sam suggested, suggesting the possibility of a counselor or somebody required to keep her secrets.

"Arl shink abowd id," she replied through a macaroni filled mouth.

Once Haley got her mind off of her personal crisis of the hour she noticed that there was definitely another secret being kept from her. Every time they thought she wasn't looking, her father and Sam would sneak each other smiles, or whisper hushed sentences to one another. She decided that once her new guard arrived and they had some time alone she would attempt to do a little spying. Her big breakthrough came a lot earlier in the night than she expected. While washing the dishes Jack and Sam were seated at the dinner table watching her while chatting. With her back turned to them they figured it was safe to sneak in a little affectionate hand squeezes and eventually a short kiss from Jack on Sam's forehead. All of this was noted by Haley who could clearly see through the reflection of the window. At this small kiss, which she knew would never happen if they were just being "friends" she spun around with a slight "HA!"

Jack and Sam jumped apart a little, Sam wondering if her father had given her any black Ops training. "What is this? How long has it been going on? WHY didn't you tell me?"

"Hale I really was planning on telling you but then you went _away_" Jack twinkled his hands in the air, "and there hasn't really been an opportunity since…"

"How about the car ride home, when we were hanging out, DINNER? I'm so sick of everything being secrets around here!"

"I'm sorry; it's all just… new…" Haley rolled her eyes and put down the plate she had been furiously waving in the air. She then proceeded to wrap her arms around Sam's neck.

"I'm really happy. Does this mean you'll be here more?"

"Well, for now we're just keeping this-"

"I know on the dl. It's okay, you can trust me."

"What's the DL?" Jack questioned. "Disabled list?" Haley and Sam both giggled. "Besides being a genius how the hell do you know Carter?"

"Cassie keeps me young," Sam smiled, her and Jack, being led to the living room by Haley. The three of them plopped down on the couch, but this time there was no awkwardness between Jack and Sam when Haley pushed them to one side of the couch. Sam readily leaned into Jack's side.

"What are we watching Daughter?"

"My pick tonight…"

"Uh oh, no chick flicks PUH-LEASE!"

"Jack, I believe it's her turn to pick."

"This better be good."

"Tonight's choice is…" she patted her lap in a drum roll, "STAR WARS!" the two adults groaned as a grin spread across the teen's face. "I'm totally kidding around. My choice tonight is 'Ocean's Eleven'. That's the newer version for those of you who never get out of the mountain, starring… Brad Pitt!" Haley had a grin on her face, but Jack just sighed.

"Don't tell me you think he's cute or something?"

"He's **gor**geous."

"He's too old, that's what he is," Jack grumbled as Haley started the movie.

"Are you saying older men are bad?" Sam gently ribbed him.

"For my daughter, definitely." The three quieted down as the film started, it was entertaining, but Sam saw a lot of holes in the scientific parts, just as she and Jack both noticed some strategic plot holes in the heist as well. Jack did note that Haley seemed happier tonight than she had for a long time, which warmed him up a lot.

Ten minutes earlier than expected the first shift of guards arrived at Jack's door. Sam was with Haley while she was washing up for bed, which seemed to be a good excuse to still have her around if SGC personnel decided to be nosy. The doorbell rang again as Jack made his way from the living room. "I'm coming, chill out." A brief smile played on his lips when he saw Daniel standing on the other side of the door. "The kid's gonna have a field day with this."

Daniel, holding a canteen undoubtedly filled with coffee, rolled his eyes and stepped inside, followed by Lt. Reed from SG5, who stood at attention. "At ease lieutenant. I'll show you two to Haley's room. Major Carter is currently watching her." Jack said goodnight to his daughter and her guards and headed off to his bedroom. He couldn't help the smile that automatically appeared seeing Sam waiting for him. "I'm glad you're staying."

"I don't think that is such a good idea, what if Reed comes in here?" Sam paced in front of the bed.

"He won't. If Haley gets beamed up he'll be with her or that nifty alarm you installed will go off. Don't you worry."

"Then how do you explain my presence in your home?"

"It really would be helpful to have a female around for Hale…"

"Jack, I'm sorry, I really can't be caught here. It's bad for both of us. Maybe on a night when it's just Daniel and Teal'c, then _maybe_ I'll stay- even then it's still a little creepy…" Sam caught the confused look on Jack's face. "Come on, it's like when you bring a boyfriend back to your family home, you don't want them to think of you with him."

"Sam, it's not as if you're twenty-" Jack began to counter.

"Daniel might as well be my brother, and even Teal'c has that older brother feel-" a wicked smile played across Sam's face, "it WOULD be pretty funny to see Teal'c beat you up a bit."

"T wouldn't lay a finger on me," Jack stated.

"That's because he doesn't think my _virtue_ needs to be protected. Yet," she gave Jack a little shove and he fell onto the bed.

"So you plan on having that conversation with him?" he pulled her arm so she fell on top of him.

"Nah, I'll get Daniel to," she kissed him on the forehead and pushed herself back up. "I'm going home, see you in the morning." It was far too early in the morning when Sam and Jack were reunited.

xxxxx

Sorry I didn't realize this chapter would be so short! I have only about five more pages of the story written out, and they may need to be edited, rewritten, etc before I post them, but I promise it'll be up soon! I hope you're enjoying the story, I've been having fun trying to figure the whole thing out :)

The faster you review the more motivation I'll have to keep on writing! Hehe, kinda like writer's blackmail, huh?


	16. Going for a Swim

Quick note: My apologies for screwing up chapter 12 and 14 so much. I seriously recommend that if you read them anytime before today (the 27th) that you go back and read them again. There was a ton of stuff left out and wrongly arranged. SORRY!

Thank you TONS to Emerald Green Queen for not only pointing this out to me, but for reviewing each and every chapter. You definitely give me motivation to keep on going! I have a lot more written out, but I'm still trying to piece things together before I post it all at once and have nothing left to work with. I'll admit, this next part may seem very confusing, but if you just keep reading (hehe, almost said watching) it'll make sense soon, enough, I promise! Okay, read on!

xxxxx

"Daniel's with her. They've been gone a good fifteen minutes now. The SGC is trying to locate him with the honing device in your remote. It should have been me. Danny's probably trying to _talk_ to these… things… while I would've taken charge and brought her home."

"That's not fair, and you know it. Daniel would put Haley first above any curiosities. Wouldn't you rather Haley is with him than somebody she's unfamiliar with?"

Jack's pacing back and forth was starting to get to Sam. She grabbed his arm to pull him down to the couch but he yanked it away from her. "Maybe if you were here Carter we could've fixed this situation immediately and Haley wouldn't have to be stuck with him who knows where."

"Where's Lt. Reed?" Sam practically whispered.

"He's in the kitchen on the phone with Hammond. I think he wants us to return to the base, but I'd rather not leave the house."

"I should have gone straight there. How am I going to explain this to Hammond?" Sam muttered to herself.

"Like I said, you should have stayed all along…"

"And that would have gone over very well when Haley disappeared and I magically show up down the hall in my CO's bedroom!" she hissed, still keeping her eyes out for Reed.

"I know you would've found a way to get them back."

"Sir, I'm sorry that Haley was taken, you know how much I care about that girl, but there was nothing I could have done about it, and my being here could seriously jeopardize our careers."

"Bull." Jack walked over to the fireplace and studied some of the pictures on his mantle. There was one of Haley and Daniel, her cheeks slightly red from all the attention she was receiving from her favorite archeologist. _Where are you two? _Sam considered joining Jack across the room, but decided to remain seated on the couch. Reed cautiously reentered the room as if making sure he wasn't interrupting anything.

"Colonel O'Neill, sir, General Hammond requests yours and Major Carter's presence at the base. He told me to stay here in case Doctor Jackson or your daughter should return."

Jack nodded and immediately headed for the door. Carter wasn't far behind. She nearly bumped into him on the front stoop when he stopped in his tracks and muttered a curse.

"What's the matter?"

"Daniel blocked me in, and now he's gone, with his keys of course."

"Don't worry about it, you can come with me."

"You're not worried what Hammond will think?" With a sigh Sam refused to answer Jack and headed for the car. When he didn't immediately follow she shot him an angry glare and at once he got into her car. The entire ride was filled with silence. Jack was too angry at the world to speak and ready to lash out at any given opportunity. Sam knew his patterns far too well, and not in the mood to be hurt, decided not to push any buttons.

xxxxx

Her body felt weightless. She was floating, in which direction she was unsure, but suddenly it occurred to her that she hadn't taken a breath in a while, if even once. She thrust her body in what felt to be upwards and gasped for air as her head escaped from whatever it was she had been in. As Haley's eyesight began to clear and focus she took in the scene around her, she was protruding through a stargate! She sharply inhaled and quickly closed her eyes, falling back through again. When her eyes reopened she was underwater and swallowing water. She again ascended to the surface and coughed a few times before clearing her chest. She quickly spun around when a little hand grabbed her shoulder.

A dirty blonde haired little girl of about four or five was giggling at the look of utter confusion on Haley's face. "Who are you?" Her big blue eyes lit up and her giggling turned into a fit of laughter. Haley started to feel dizzy and pulled herself out of what she now recognized to be a hot tub on her father's deck. _How long have I been out for?_ She shuddered knowing that not only had it been long enough for the hot tub to be installed, but she had no memory of getting into the hot tub. At least the SGC personal guard seemed to have gone away. Her head was now spinning so she didn't notice the person sit next to her, whose lap the little girl immediately thrust herself into.

"Hale, is everything okay?" Sam questioned.

"Sam, thank God you're here, nothing is right!" Sam raised her eyebrow slightly and gently lifted the child off of her.

"Ella go inside and see if Daddy is finished putting sunscreen on your sister." The little girl smiled and ran into the house to do her job. "I guess this 'you take one kid I'll take the other' bit will never quite work out efficiently enough with your father," Sam grinned, rolling her eyes. She saw the anxious look on Haley's face and remembered why she banished the child. "What's the matter?"

"I don't know, but nothing is right! Who's that little girl? How long have I been gone for? Even you look different Sam! Since when is your hair long enough for a ponytail? Yes, maybe little, but still… NOTHING'S RIGHT!"

As tears formed in Haley's eyes, Sam's grew wider with concern. "I don't quite understand Hales, what's the last thing you remember?"

"Daniel… he and some other guy, I can't remember his name, were guarding me. I went to bed, next thing I know I'm here, on the deck. You look different, some little kid is running around, and I'm beginning to believe that she's YOURS and my dads!"

"That is nearly six years worth of memories you're missing! Where do I even begin?"

"Are you two married?"

"If she says no there may be some issues to deal with," Jack interrupted, smiling and carrying two girls onto the deck. One was Ella, the other- although caked on with sunscreen- appeared to look just like her. When neither Sam nor Haley smiled he felt a nervous jolt in his stomach. He set the girls down on the deck and tried to think fast. "Why don't you two play with the chalk over there?"

"Okay Daddy!" the girl covered in sunscreen said, pulling Ella with her.

Making sure the girls were within his range of vision, but far enough not to hear, Jack asked, "What the hell is going on?"

"That's what I've been wondering myself," Haley countered.

"Haley has no recollection of the past six years," Sam offered, trying to speed things along.

"How is that possible?" Haley and Jack asked at the same time. A slight smile was shared between the two before their worries quickly returned.

"Did you bump your head or anything when you were swimming?" Sam questioned.

"It doesn't hurt; I don't feel any bumps…" Haley recounted her last memories before she found herself in the hot tub. Sam went off to call Janet, leaving Haley and Jack alone on the deck. He glanced over at the little girls working on some kind of chalk masterpiece on the walkway. "Are… are those my…"

"Sisters? Yeah. Ella, well Ellinor, and Allison, Allie."

"Just the two of them?" Jack nodded. "Twins I'm guessing."

"How'd you guess?"

Haley chuckled slightly. "How old are they?"

"Four and a half." Haley scrunched up her face for a moment thinking, but Jack answered her thoughts before she could even voice them. "We've been married just over five years." Haley started to do the math, but once again her thoughts were cut short. "Honeymoon babies. I swear," Jack held his hands up.

"Ew. How old am I?"

"Twenty-one."

"Wow. This is too strange… _Although_ I could deal with being twenty-one…"

"They changed the drinking age to thirty," Jack countered.

"Ah okay, I totally believe that one." Haley looked over at the girls again, who were so clearly a mix of both their parents. They both had Sam's eyes, Jack's hair and smile, Sam's nose… "Daddy?"

"Yeah Hale?"

"Do they ever ask who I am?"

"You're their sister."

"Not their full sister. Don't they ever question who my mother is? I don't call Sam 'Mom', right?"

"No, you don't, and they know that she's not your biological mother, but we've told them that she's known you almost your whole life."

"I guess that's a half-truth seeing as I entered your lives at the same time."

"Yet we all still remember you being young, false memories or not. In our memories Sam's known you since you were about nine or ten."

"Who did you think was my mother?"

Jack sighed and pushed back his hair. "You've asked me this before…"

"Well in my memories I haven't yet, so please tell me," Haley pushed.

"I never thought about it. You know I don't delve into the past if I don't need to. All I knew was that your mom was out of the picture."

"So you didn't think it was Sarah?"

"Did you?"

"No, I think I thought exactly like you did. Figured she split when I was little and that's why you didn't like to talk about her." Haley smiled at the similarities in her personality and Jack's. Well, she was kind of his clone, after all.

xxxxx

Janet wasn't answering her phone, but Sam left her urgent messages to call back. She and Jack convinced Haley to just stay calm until they could figure out what was going on. Nobody wanted to scare the girls, especially if this was just some temporary bought of confusion.

Haley rummaged through her drawers and found a change of clothes. Her room wasn't all that different, just newer pictures, different sheets, nothing major. She carefully studied the pictures lined up. It was interesting to see her and her friends looking older. There were also new people that Haley did not recognize, including a very cute guy with his arm around her waist. With a happy and curious "hmmm" Haley decided she'd ask Sam if she knew anything later. Haley decided to pull her hair into a ponytail, and immediately realized she hadn't yet looked in the mirror. Her hair was lighter, obviously highlighted, and slightly longer. She looked the same, yet different. Older, mostly, mature looking too, she smiled. Her careful assessment was interrupted by light pounding on the door.

"Come in!"

"Haley, it's time for dinner, Mommy told me to get you," the little girl (she was unsure if it was Ella or Allie) grabbed her hand and pulled her downstairs to the dining room. Luckily she and her sister were not dressed alike- one was wearing a pink dress with pigtails and matching bows in her hair; while the other (the one who retrieved Haley) was wearing a blue tee shirt and matching skirt, her hair down. Haley wondered if Sam had purposely dressed them differently so she wouldn't get confused.

"Thanks Allie," Jack said, lifting the little girl onto her booster seat. _That's Allie_, Haley tried to study her to see if there were any visible signs. The only major one being that she was the more extroverted of the two. She'd try to remember that. Jack went to help Sam in the kitchen, leaving Haley with her sisters. _Sisters_, she still couldn't get over that.

"Guess what we're having for dinner Haley," Allie excitedly asked.

"I don't know, why don't you tell me," she replied, smiling at the girl's enthusiasm.

"Sapeggy!" Allie cried.

"It's spa-get-E," Ella corrected. "Mommy makes spaghetti every Wednesday. You know that!"

"Silly me, I forgot!" Haley laughed.

"An', an' fursdays we get pizza!" Allie squealed.

"THAT I remember!" _Old habits die hard_. Sam and Jack walked in balancing all the plates in their hands. The food was passed around and the girls very quickly made a mess. Meanwhile, Haley attempted to get more information out of her father about her life.

"Why aren't I at school right now?"

"Silly! There's no school in the summer!" Ella giggled. Haley made an "O" with her mouth and tried to think of more questions.

"Daddy,"

"Yeah Hale?"

"What ever happened with the Asgard?" Jack's eyes bugged out a little, and Sam choked on her drink.

"What's that?" Allie asked.

"Aliens," Jack answered matter-of-factly.

"Aliums aren't real Daddy!" Allie informed him.

"I think Daddy was just playing around, hon," Sam said, collecting the dirty dishes. Haley stood up to help clear the table while Jack attempted to clean the sauce off the girl's faces.

"Hale, the girls didn't grow up running around the SGC like you did."

"Sorry Sam, but I really do need to know the truth, what happened with the Asgard?"

Sam's jaw tightened and it was obvious she was trying to come up with a way to get Haley to stop asking questions. "They're off in their own quadrant of the galaxy somewhere minding their own business, I believe. I'm not entirely sure what they've been up to lately."

"Right…" Haley rinsed off her dish and placed it in the dishwasher. "Daddy said I'm twenty-one,"

"Yes, and?"

"That means I'm not a minor, I deserve to know my medical history."

"So far you haven't asked anything about your medical history, what would you like to know? I mean I probably can't answer most of your questions, Janet's more the woman for that job…"

Haley squinted and studied Sam's face. She knew that Sam wasn't actually lying to her, but was very aware of the fact that she could be very good at withholding the whole truth. She decided that an all out attack would only raise Sam's defenses more, so she would find a way to trick her over a period of time.

"So tell me about my boyfriend," Haley grinned, wanting to hear about the hottie from her picture.

Relieved that Haley had temporarily given up, Sam was very excited to tell all. "Well, his name is Ben; he's a really great guy. You actually met him at the SGC." Haley raised an eyebrow and Sam chuckled. "Ben's a little bit older than you; he's twenty-four, a lieutenant in the air force."

"What?" Haley was shocked; she could truly see her dad flipping out about this. "How'd I meet him?"

"You came to visit the SGC when you were home for spring break. Your father and I were in meetings and Dan-"

"Wait-"

"What is it?"

"You still work at the SGC? Do you go off world?"

"I work there in a pretty limited capacity these days, mostly, believe it or not, half days, and I rarely if ever go off world."

"I'm glad."

"Don't worry; your sisters are my first priority these days." Sam looked into the dining room where Jack had a squirming Ella pinned to the ground, pretending to struggle at washing off her face.

Haley smiled, though slightly jealous, that these girls were getting the life she never had. "Tell me more about Ben."

"Well he was to be your escort around the base, but since you were kept waiting for quite some time, the two of you got to know each other pretty well. You spent a good chunk of your vacation seeing him."

"You knew?"

"Actually, not at first. You were pretty quiet about it, obviously afraid of your dad's reaction. You told me at the beginning of the summer, when you were nervous about breaking the news to Jack."

"Daddy flipped, right?"

Sam let out a sly smile, "well he did threaten to send Lieutenant Morgan to Antarctica, but I convinced him that would not be in his best interests if he ever wanted to speak to his daughter again."

"Thanks Sam. So I've been dating a LIEUTENANT in the Air Force for five months!" Haley was a little overwhelmed by this information.

"FIVE MONTHS?" Jack walked into the kitchen, his eyes bugging out a little. "What happened to it's not serious, it's just a summer fling, et CETERA!"

"Daddy, I honestly don't remember any of this, so if you could wait until my memory comes back to yell at me it'd make things a lot easier!" Haley nervously played with the hem of her shirt while carefully looking up to make sure her father's head hadn't exploded yet.

"Jack…" Sam stepped across the room and wrapped her arms around his neck. "She's going back to school in a few weeks; try not to worry about it…"

"I was once a hot young lieutenant; I know how their minds work!"

"HOT?" Haley questioned, deciding she'd leave this little mess for Sam to deal with. "Ew."

Sam snickered. "Hey, are you agreeing with the kid? What does she know?" Jack scowled, but Sam pulled him in for a hug.

"You're hot to me, even if you're no longer a lieutenant…"

Haley dipped her feet in the hot tub, trying to piece together some facts. The Asgard were no longer very involved with Earth. Was there a falling out or had they simply gotten all that they needed from the planet and gone home? Haley made small ripples tracing her toe along the surface of the water. She could get used to having this hot tub, she smiled to herself. Suddenly a hand on her shoulder startled her so much that she shrieked and fell into the water. As she was falling she heard, "relax Hale, it's just me." A hand reached to pull her out of the water.

Suddenly she was dry. She opened her eyes to see it was Daniel's hand she was now holding, as he was pulling her off a table. It seemed like the examining tables at the doctor's office. "What the hell is going on?" she meant to yell, but her hoarse voice only allowed for a strong whisper.

"I want you to stay calm…" Daniel looked concerned and pushed her to the floor to sit down.

"Daniel?"

He sat down next to her, carefully trying to explain the situation without scaring her too much. Was that even possible? "The Asgard have decided to, um, borrow you for a little bit."

"Borrow?"

"Well they do plan on returning you…" he trailed off and quickly muttered, _I think_.

"So they kidnapped me?" Haley's anxiety was growing stronger by the second.

"Well… that's not exactly how they described it to me."

"So you've seen them?" Daniel gave a slight nod. "I don't understand what they'd want from the two of us! One second I'm at my dad's falling into the hot tub, the next thing I know I'm here, dry-"

"Hot tub?"

"Yes…"

"Haley your dad doesn't have a hot tub, and before coming here you were in bed, asleep, remember I was guarding you?"

"So the past six years, where I thought I lost my memory?"

"What? Are you alright?" Daniel looked at Haley trying to figure out if she had a really weird dream or if she was losing her mind from all the stress.

"I woke up and I was at my dad's, only things were different. I guess I missed six years, Daddy and Sam were really confused, but they couldn't get in touch with Janet."

"Sam was there?" Daniel raised his eyebrow.

"She lived there."

"Oh?" the eyebrow went higher.

"She was married to my dad, they had twins, also." Now both of Daniel's eyebrows were in danger of jumping off his forehead. Haley said this all so matter-of-factly, as if this huge life development was no big deal. "It took me a little while to take in, too. I guess it was a long dream…" Haley hid her face in her palms and took a deep breath. "I have no clue what's real anymore… this dream was so vivid, like I had just woken up in the future!"

As strange as all of this was, Daniel was relieved that the bizarre dream was occupying Haley's attention at the moment. He wasn't entirely sure himself what was going on right about now. After they had been beamed onto the ship Daniel found Haley in a stasis unit. He wandered the ship until finally finding that pesky little alien he knew was responsible.

xxxxx

"I am sorry Dr. Jackson, but I cannot go into detail about the girl at this moment. You are not supposed to be here."

"Thor you can't just kidnap a child from her bedroom and not expect us to ask questions!" Daniel was shouting at this point. And he was supposed to be the diplomatic one, he mused. It was a good thing Jack wasn't here; he would probably try and commandeer the ship, crash it into the Pacific, and bring Haley home. Not the best of ways to deal with Earth's top ally.

"I will send you home and be in touch soon-" Thor stated, heading towards the controls.

"NO! Wait!" Daniel quickly ran over and jumped in front of him. "Let me stay here with her."

"I do not think that is a wise idea…"

"Think about it this way, if I go home I will see Jack and tell him that you're the one who took his daughter. I wouldn't want to be you when he finds that out." Daniel wasn't sure how wise it was to threaten the Supreme Commander of the Asgard, but he was running out of options here.

"Very well, you may remain here for the time being, but I cannot currently discuss the girl with you. You may visit with her now; I will bring her out of stasis." Thor dismissed Daniel with the wave of his little hand, and he knew there was no point fighting him anymore at the moment. Hopefully he would give up some answers soon before all hell broke loose down on Earth, if it hadn't already.

xxxxx

Coming soon: back to the SGC, some time traveling, and hopefully a few more pieces to the puzzle


	17. Troubleshooting

"Sir, if the ship is still in orbit it remains cloaked. There have been no signs of any ship in our area," Carter informed General Hammond and everybody else gathered at the briefing table. Janet and Teal'c sat on one side with Jack in his usual spot next to Hammond, his eyes dark and full of anger. He and Sam were both avoiding looking one another in the eye.

"I honestly don't know what to tell you Colonel. You have my deepest sympathies, but I don't see how we would go about finding Haley," General Hammond shook his head, deeply regretful of the news he was giving O'Neill. "I personally believe if Dr. Jackson is with her she is in very good hands and he is probably working on a way to get in touch with us as we speak. It may be best if you remain on base for the time being, but I'll understand if you decide to go home, we can contact you if anything comes up."

"No sir, I plan on staying on base."

"Alright, everybody is dismissed." Hammond walked back to his office, not entirely sure himself what to do. It was times like these that commanding a base with such commonly strange occurrences drove him crazy.

xxxxx

Sam sat in her lab, playing around with the beaming device she had created. Janet entered and sat on a stool next to Sam. "How's it going?"

"We shouldn't have sent her home until I completed this. It needs a recall device or-"

"Sam," Janet touched her arm, "whoever took her would've taken her from here too. We both know that the beaming devices work down here. At least we know she has somebody looking out for her."

"Daniel. I'm worried about him too," Sam sighed, feeling the weight of the world on her shoulders.

"It wouldn't be a normal day if one of us wasn't worried about him," she smiled. "How's Colonel O'Neill doing?"

Sam looked away, her cheeks flushing a bit. She still hadn't told Janet about their somewhat new relationship, and felt incredibly guilty. "He's very angry at the moment."

"With?"

"Everybody, me…"

"He thinks you should have been there."

"Why would-"

"Sam, cut the act. I've known about the two of you for quite some time now."

Sam's lips tightened and the first thing that came to mind was the ass kicking she was going to give "Daniel."

"Yeah, I dragged it out of him, but I already knew. Come on, that night at the movies? You two looked like a bunch of lovesick teens." Janet chuckled as Sam's eyes widened in horror.

"You were watching us?"

"Come on Sam, as a mother I see EVERYTHING, even when I'm off duty. That night at Jack's, when you didn't leave with me and Daniel we figured…" Janet smiled and gave a shrug. "I am a little peeved you didn't feel the need to tell me, though."

"Well I'm a little peeved you didn't tell me you knew!" Sam realized she wasn't getting out of this without some sort of apology to her best friend. "It was all just so new, too. It never seemed to be the right time to tell you, anyways," Sam sighed, recalling all the obstacles that popped up every time things appeared to be getting better. "Besides," Sam gave a mischievous smile, "I figured Daniel told you."

Janet gave a slight eye roll, but decided to get back to the problem at hand. "So Colonel O'Neill believes that had you stayed at his house you could have prevented Haley from being taken?" Sam nodded. Janet reached out and squeezed her friend's shoulder. "You realize that's ridiculous. You couldn't have prevented this anymore than Jack."

"That's what I tried telling him, but he refuses to listen to me," Sam grew more frustrated, realizing that she was not the one to blame in all of this.

"He has a way of venting his overall anger into other aspects of his life."

"That's for sure; he won't even look at me at this point. It's not even worth trying to talk to him right now. I know he'll just block me out."

"He's like that child being punished who puts their hands over their ears to avoid hearing their parents yelling at them," Janet sympathized. "But I know that you're going to find a way to get Haley and Daniel home, if Daniel isn't already working on it himself, and then you can go and give the Colonel a huge kick in the ass for being one to you."

Sam looked up from her device and gave Janet a sad smile. "I hope you're right, and I hope that's all it takes to make everything right again."

xxxxx

Teal'c stood in the doorway, but the sound of shouting halted his entrance.

"But the Asgard aren't answering us, sir."

"We know they have her! I don't care what it takes! If we have to find one of those Ancient device things and have me stick my head in it so I can get the knowledge to build that power device thingy and gate to the Asgard galaxy so I can get some answers from their scrawny grey asses I will!"

"Sir with all due-"

"CARTER they've got my KID! SCREW any alliance we have with them, I want them to pay!"

"Sir, there may be a reason they never told us of the Gormaan, they could have separated so long ago that they don't even consider them-"

"I don't care when or why they're not friends. Who knows, maybe they ARE the Gormaan-"

"That doesn't even make sense!"

Teal'c could sense Major Carter's frustration and decided it was time to calm O'Neill down. Before he could open up his mouth again to yell at Carter further, Teal'c swiftly stepped in between the two. "O'Neill, it would be wise for you to stop arguing at this moment. It is not helping anybody."

"We weren't arguing, we were just…" Teal'c raised his eyebrow and O'Neill shrugged. "We were troubleshooting."

"The tone of voice you are using with Major Carter is most disrespectful. Do you not believe she is trying her hardest to figure out where Daniel Jackson and your daughter have gone?" Jack opened his mouth, but Teal'c wasn't ready to hear him yet. "If you would like to voice your opinions you may do so in a polite manner, and not raise your voice. You are most likely only slowing down the progress Major Carter is making."

Jack gave a giant "harrumph" and started to exit the room, but Teal'c put his arm up, blocking him. "I believe you owe Major Carter an apology."

"Teal'c, really it's not necessary-" Sam started.

"No, I believe it is." _If looks could kill_, Sam thought, as she watched Teal'c burn a hole into O'Neill's head.

"Carter, I'm…" Jack shoved his hands in his pockets and refused to make eye contact. "You know what, do you what you want T, I'm not backing down. I know I'm right," and those were Jack O'Neill's last words before being decked by Teal'c. He stepped right over Jack and exited the room, bowing slightly to Major Carter first. Everything happened so fast that Sam was pretty sure her jaw was on the floor. She rushed to the ground to help sit Jack up.

"Carter?"

"Yes?"

"I…" he stared at her wide eyes, and thought how kind she was to help him when he had been such an ass. "I…"

"What is it?" she was hoping he had finally realized he needed to apologize to her.

"I'm tired," he said before shutting his eyes and passing out.


	18. A handful of answers

Wow, I can't believe how far this little _what if _concept I had forever ago has come. Thank you to all those who have stuck with the story, and ESPECIALLY to my reviewers. And, because this chapter may bring up some questions, this story takes place around season four tofive. Since it's completely off-cannon I can promise that Daniel won't be ascending anytime soon. 

Emerald Green Queen, like you I definitely have a master plan, especially in relation to the Asgard. That part of the story is starting to piece together, but that is all I will say. Enjoy :)

xxxxx

Daniel was listening to Haley analyze her dream, that was what she decided it had to be, while he wondered how to deal with Thor. "…and I think that shows my need for- Daniel are you listening?"

"Huh? Yes, yes of course. Keep going," Daniel wondered if this was how Jack felt from time to time. Their thoughts were both broken by the sound of tiny footsteps coming towards them. Both heads turned to the room's entrance to see Thor's approach.

"It is time for you to head back to the stasis chamber," Thor told Haley.

She grabbed onto Daniel's hand, fearful that he would be gone the next time she awoke. "What if I don't want to?"

"That is not your decision to make," the alien calmly informed.

"That's not fair! You can't do this to me!" Haley started whining.

"Haley, shh, let me take care of this," Daniel walked over to Thor hoping to make a deal. Lowering his voice he advised Thor, "I could probably convince her to listen to you if you promise to leave me here while she's out."

"It is not necessary for her to cooperate with me, but I will leave you here as a gesture of goodwill." Daniel chuckled at the thought of the Asgard worrying about being viewed as benevolent after kidnapping their favorite human's child.

Daniel returned to Haley and was able to convince her to lie down. "You promise you'll stay here Daniel?"

"Yes," he then lowered his face to Haley's ear and whispered "and I will work on bringing you home while you sleep."

Haley put her arms around his neck and gave him a hug. "I love you Daniel." He gave her a tight smile, but was not fast enough to respond because Thor had put the girl back into stasis. Daniel ran after Thor to try and work their way a little more out of this mess.

xxxxx

Haley opened her eyes to find herself face to face with her father. She jumped back a bit and realized that she had been on the chaise chair on the deck, and her father was holding a hot dog in front of her.

"Dinner's ready, you NEED to eat." Haley looked around, taking in her surroundings. It was pretty hot out, appeared to be the middle of the day. Noon, perhaps? The scent of barbequed food filled her nose; it was worth getting up for. Haley knew this was a dream, but decided to play along and enjoy the food while she was here.

"Okay, okay, I'm getting up." Haley grabbed the hot dog from Jack's hands and put it on a plate. "Civilized people use plates," she stuck her tongue out, and grabbed a soda from the cooler.

"I have to go to the SGC later to meet some new recruits, so I guess I'll take you and Cassie to the mall on the way there. We can all meet up for dinner there when I'm done with work."

"Um, sounds good!" Haley figured as long as she didn't ask too many questions she wouldn't have to explain her total lack of knowledge of where or when she was. After lunch Jack picked up Cassie and took the girls to the mall, as promised. Haley decided since this was all a dream she would buy whatever she wanted to.

"Geeze Hale, you're gonna go bankrupt!" Cassie giggled as Haley purchased a Juicy Couture hoodie, tee shirt, and matching pants.

"I've decided to live my life to the fullest!" Haley came up with.

"And that includes a velour tracksuit?"

"Of course!"

"Of course!" Both girls giggled once again, and Haley was starting to feel more and more enmeshed in this reality.

After a long day of shopping the girls met up with the adults for dinner at the mall's hamburger restaurant. Haley was slowly realizing that she wasn't too far off from the present day time period. Maybe a few months into the future. She started getting nervous that this was in fact real and she had completely lost about six months of her life.

Haley chose not to air her concerns over dinner, but instead enjoy the company of her extended family. She never tired of Teal'c eating half the menu, Janet and Jack's playful bickering about who truly was the one obsessed with power, or Sam's and Daniel's ability to read each other's mind. Sometimes Haley just enjoyed sitting back and watching everybody interact, and oftentimes she'd seen Cassie doing the same. It was during this people-watching tonight that Haley noticed her father and Sam were a lot cozier than usual. She was pretty sure that whatever relationship they had was supposed to be pretty secret. Pretty sure of that until she noticed the flash of a rock that went by when Sam covered her mouth at one point. Haley let out a gasp, drawing all the attention from the table.

Completely forgetting about not revealing her lack of memory until later on, Haley blew her cover. "When did you get engaged?" Everybody looked at Haley quizzically.

A small smile spread across Jack's face. "You just want to hear the story again, don't you?"

"Got me!" Haley raised her hands in the air as if she had been caught red handed. Cassie gave a little clap, never getting tired of hearing the story herself.

"WELL," Sam gave a pause for dramatic effect. "Jack had finally finished training his replacement for SG-1, and was ready to step aside from saving the world to raise his daughter." Haley's cheeks flushed, she couldn't believe that her father gave all that up to take care of her.

"And you thought going to Hell was a scary mission," Jack quipped. Everybody chuckled, and Haley gave Jack a playful punch.

Sam continued, "This also meant that I was no longer in Jack's chain of command-"

"You won us a few hundred bucks," Daniel interrupted, referring to the pool that had been going on. "Who would have thought nobody else would've guessed that you two would get together two days after Jack left."

"Oh sure there were a bunch of people who picked the day of," Janet put in.

"The week after," Teal'c added.

"But not two days," Daniel finished.

"We finally got that DVD player!" Cassie exclaimed.

"_Anyways_," Sam started up again, "TWO days later, as the doctors predicted, it was announced that Jack and I were together. Once again the bets poured in, but I was given an anonymous tip that Jack had placed a huge bet himself, thinking nobody would know it was him. Of course everybody found out and placed their bets on the surrounding dates, thinking Jack would either get nervous and push back the day he proposed, or get antsy and ask a few days sooner. Only one bet was placed two months earlier than the rest."

"Mine," Teal'c stated.

"Or so she thought," Jack smirked.

Haley's eyes widened as she started to catch on. "Of course I always thought this whole betting thing was ridiculous, and didn't think too much about it. I figured Jack's bet was a joke. That night we were eating dinner at my house and Jack asked if I'd ever considered selling the place. I was pretty sure he wanted me to move in with him. So of course I said yes."

"I suggested we celebrate with cake, and brought over the cake I had picked up before dinner," Jack added.

"Sitting on top of the cake was the very ring one Cassandra Frasier had spotted me looking at when she dragged me into the jewelry store weeks earlier," by the time Sam finished her grin was from ear to ear. Everybody at the table was smiling, especially Haley who was hearing this story for the first time. It took all her power not to jump up and down.

"And Teal'c and I made quite a bit of money that day, too," Jack said.

"Indeed we did. I was able to buy the special edition boxed DVD set I wanted."

"And that family vacation we had been discussing," Jack mischievously smiled. Haley wanted to cry out, but bit her lip to keep up her act.

"What?" Sam asked. So maybe she wasn't supposed to know about this.

"Yeah, what are you talking about Daddy?" she joined in.

"Two days from now one Major Carter will be using up her downtime, rather than tinkering around in that lab. The three of us are going to Hawaii." Jack tried to say this very matter-of-factly, but could not keep the grin off of his face. Sam's jaw was hanging down, along with everybody else at the table. Haley felt tears stinging at her eyes. "Tears of joy Hale?" Jack asked.

"Why does stuff like this only happen in my dreams?"

xxxxx

"I believe I have placed her into the correct level of stasis this time," Thor addressed Daniel, when frustrated archeologist approached him.

"How is this time different from the first time Haley was in stasis?"

"She was in too deep a level. This one is better suited for our purposes."

Daniel was getting angry now. He had been told nothing, and now Thor was not making any sense. He wanted answers and he wanted them now. He was also beginning to feel like he had spent far too much time with one Jack O'Neill.

"Thor I think it's time you tell me what's going on. I can't exactly tell the wrong people when I'm up here, anyways." Daniel crossed his arms, and stared at Thor, hoping he'd finally get the truth.

"Very well," Thor stated, crossing the room and sitting in his throne-like chair. "You cannot affect what the girl's decisions now that she is in stasis." At this Daniel quirked his eyebrow. "As you know the Asgard are a race of clones. A long time ago we were once similar to humans. It has been attempted, but failed, to put Asgard minds into a human body. Our vastly superior intellect is too overwhelming for the human brain. However, certain humans are closer on the evolutional scale to our race. We have realized that their brains are capable of storing specific information."

"We discovered information of the Gormaan and other factions that have been studying humans. We started to wonder if Haley is this key I've read about."

"This is true," Thor gave a slight nod.

"Which group created her?"

"I am sorry to say that it was members of the Asgard High Council."

"You knew about this?" Daniel started to grow uneasy.

"The girl was never intended to be pulled out of stasis, nor was she to be brought to Earth."

"What are you talking about?"

"It is true that the High Council created the one you know as Haley O'Neill. Somehow the information was placed in… what you refer to as the 'wrong hands'. The girl needed to be hidden immediately. We knew that the best way to hide her would be if nobody knew the truth, including herself. We immediately altered the minds of those closest to her."

"You set the fire in Jack's house."

"We did not have enough time to create photographic evidence of the girl or possessions, so it was decided that the fire would be a plausible explanation for this. Those who brought the girl to Colonel O'Neill had a very limited amount of time- only a few of your hours, and focused it mainly on setting up her history and working with your minds, mostly Colonel O'Neill's. Once we deemed the situation safe we left her in your planet's care."

"Yet the Gormaan still managed to find her."

"Regrettably we discovered that there was a mole in the High Council."

"Why did you need to take Haley back?"

"There is information in her mind that needs to be accessed. That is why she is in stasis. When she retrieves the information you may have her back."

"What kind of information are you talking about?"

"It is far too complex to describe to you in the time we have left until she awakens."

Daniel was ready to shout, but kept his cool, knowing that he was extremely lucky to be getting all these answers. "Can you summarize it?"

"If put into a proper form of stasis the girl is able to retrieve memories that have not occurred yet. She will no longer be needed after giving us our information and you may both return home."

"What's to say you won't need her again next month or next year?"

"There may be a time one day when we need the girl's help again, but it would not take a great deal of time to extract the information."

"Is Haley still in danger?" Daniel's trust of the Asgard and his patience with them were growing extremely thin.

"There will be no danger if we retrieve the information we are looking for. I am sorry Dr. Jackson but I must get back to work "

"But Thor-" before Daniel could finish he was beamed into the room with Haley. She was still in the stasis chamber, so Daniel waited, pacing the windows of the ship, staring down at Earth.

xxxxx

Jack waited for his vision to clear trying to remember how he got into this bed… this bed in the… infirmary. Dammit! Teal'c had punched him, but not THAT hard. The first thing he saw was a pair of big blue eyes focused on him.

"Janet, he's awake," Carter called out. She was sitting at his side, looking somewhat aggravated. Janet joined her and helped Jack to sit up.

"How'd I get here?" he asked.

"You fainted," Dr. Frasier informed him while taking his vitals.

"Fainted?" the women nodded. "How is that?"

"Colonel you're obviously under a great deal of stress. You need to get some rest before you get yourself sick. You can either rest here, under my careful supervision, or go home."

"Well, doc, as much as I love basking in your presence and being your pin cushion, I'm getting out of here." Jack swung his feet over the bed and moved to get up, and a wave of nausea hit him.

"Not so fast, Sir, you need somebody to take you home."

"I'll do it Janet," Sam volunteered. She had had it with him, but was willing to give him one last chance. They couldn't REALLY speak on base, and so this was the best option.

"I really don't deserve you Carter," Jack said.

"You're right," Janet observed.

"Not now," Sam replied, not wanting to have this conversation on the base.

As they walked down the hall towards the exit Jack looked over at Sam and desperately wanted to take her in his arms. He tried his best to push those emotions as far down as possible. The entire car ride was quiet and Jack followed Sam like a puppy dog into his home.

"Janet's right, when was the last time you ate?" Jack just shrugged. Sam gave him a giant eye roll and pulled a yogurt out of his refrigerator. "Here, you should eat this."

"I'm fine, really-"

"SIR, I think you need to follow the doctor's orders."

Jack winced slightly at the use of sir in his home. "Listen… I've been an ass…"

"Yes."

"I don't deserve you," Jack told her.

"That is the biggest copout and you know it. I will choose who and who does not deserve to be with me. Maybe right now you don't, but I'm still here, aren't I? How many times have we talked about you letting me in?"

"Well, you know, I tend to be bad with numbers…"

"Seriously Jack, please."

Jack rubbed his hand down his face. "Alright, alright. I'm sorry I was such an ass to you. You put your butt on the line even having this relationship; I wasn't making it very worth your while." A small smile started to break onto Sam's face. She walked over to Jack and wrapped her arms around him, placing her head on his shoulder. "I need you so much right now; I really did a hell of a job showing it, huh?"

xxxx

Things are starting to make sense, I hope. The next chapter gets even crazier but I promise adds a nice amount of pieces towards the puzzle. I'm still working out some kinks, hopefully it'll be finished soon! Remember, the more feedback the faster I write :)


	19. In Dreams

Sorry for the delay. First I visited my friends at school, and since I've been working 40 hour weeks. It's not that I don't have time to write, I've just been using my time to crash on the couch far too much :)

Thanks to everybody who's been reading, please please please PLEASE review! A huge thanks to my biggest supporter Emerald Green Queen!

For RomieG, I want to apologize because you said things were finally starting to make sense... it may get a bit confusing again! Hehe, but just stick with it, everything will tie together very soon.

I have another chapter written, but I want to write a bit more before I post it. Keep reviewing so I have some motivation!

xxxxx

"Your dreams? Sweetie, I bought the tickets, booked the hotel, this is real," Jack informed her.

"No it's not. None of this is real. I'm just going to wake up again and realize that I'm some sort of lab rat and-" Haley's rant was interrupted by the sound of five pagers going off at once.

"Why would they be paging me?" Jack wondered.

"It must be very important O'Neill," Teal'c replied. Sam was calling the base while they bounced off theories.

"We need to all be there now," Sam informed them. "Janet there must be some sort of medical emergency as well, you're included.

"Who's going to take home the girls?" Janet asked.

"No time, they'll come with us," Jack said as he threw more than enough cash onto the table and herded the group out. "Come on girls. We'll get an airman to bring you home once we get there."

"Must be something huge," Cassie whispered to Haley. It's just a dream, she kept repeating, trying to push out the fear.

The group entered the mountain, which seemed to be in a state of high alert. There were guards running with jobs to do, and when Colonel O'Neill and company entered they were at once told to see General Hammond. Dr. Frasier was told to report to the infirmary immediately. "Daniel, watch her," Janet called out as she was ushered away.

The group got to the briefing room, to find General Hammond pacing back and forth. "Girls, will you please wait in my office?" Hammond ushered them in and shut the door behind them.

"What's going on? Why was I even called here?" Jack asked.

"Thor and two other Asgard were beamed in, they were all severely injured."

"What happened? How did they end up here?" Daniel asked.

"They were attacked, their ship exploded right after they arrived," Hammond replied. Everybody cringed, including Teal'c.

"By the Goauld?" Sam questioned.

"One of them started to tell us what was going on before passing out." Hammond's voice lowered, and briefly closed his eyes. "He said 'the girl is the target', and we're assuming that they are referring to Haley."

Jack stood up and retrieved the girls from the general's office. "You two are to stay with one of us at all times."

"Daddy what's going on?" Haley asked, a general sense of foreboding starting to take over.

"Sweetie we just have some abnormal activity right now. I need you two to listen to everything we tell you to do, okay?"

"Jack are we safe here?" Cassie asked, trying to swallow her anxiety.

"Of course," General Hammond said, "Cassandra you'll stay with me right now." She nodded, but really wanted to know what the hell was going on that seemed to be causing such mass hysteria, and why were she and Haley being separated?

"Sir, we'll all head down to the infirmary" Hammond nodded at Jack, "Carter go see if you can find out any information at all on how the ship was destroyed-"

"Yes sir," Carter walked down to the control room.

Jack pulled Teal'c to the side, out of earshot. "I want you to watch Haley, keep a few steps back from us, be ready to pull her somewhere safe at a seconds notice. Protect her above all Teal'c."

"You have my word O'Neill."

xxxxx

Jack and Daniel raced into the infirmary, Teal'c sticking with Haley's slower pace. Janet saw them, and looked anxious. "Cassie's with General Hammond," Daniel told her. "Sam's off trying to figure out if there's any evidence of how this whole mess started."

Janet took a step closer to Jack and placed her hand on his arm. "Sir, I'm sorry to inform you, Thor has just died."

"What?" Daniel couldn't help but ask. Jack just buried his face in his palm.

"The last time I saw him I said I never wanted to see him anywhere near our planet for taking Haley. I basically destroyed our alliance with the Asgard." Haley took a few steps forward and leaned into her father's side.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, "this is all my fault."

"No it isn't Hale. You never asked for any of this. It's just a really shitty situation. Go sit down for a moment, I need to talk to Janet." Haley assented and sat down in a chair, her eyes still focused on the adults in the room.

"Sir, I sedated the Asgard in the least critical condition, and he should be waking up soon. The other one, I'm not sure how long he has. I really know very little about Asgard anatomy, and we have not been able to reach any other members of the Asgard yet," Janet explained. A nurse approached Janet and whispered in her ear. "He's awake; let's see if we can get some answers."

Haley was told to wait where she was, and Teal'c stood with her. "What do you think is going on T?"

"They are most likely finding out what is going on, and will soon return with some answers."

"Why was I brought down here and not Cassie? Is it because of my history with the Asgard?"

"Your father did not tell me his motivations for bringing you to the infirmary, but I believe that he feels best knowing you are close by."

"He thinks he's protecting me more?"

"Indeed."

"So am I a danger to Cassie?"

"O'Neill does not believe that Cassandra Frasier needs to be protected from the Asgard, but feels it would be best to keep her in a safe place on the base. General Hammond will do a good job of watching over her."

"I think you're doing a good job of watching over me. Thank you." Teal'c smiled and bowed his head at Haley, but it was short lived because they were interrupted by a flash of white light. Teal'c moved to grab Haley, but realized that he was sharing his grip on her with an Asgard. Daniel came running into the room.

"Romnir, please let her go. You have no ship to return to, where will you take her?"

"We will be going through the Stargate," the Asgard replied.

"Where's my dad? Did it hurt my dad?" Haley asked panicked, knowing Jack should have been in the room too.

"He was knocked out, but is going to be fine; Janet's looking after him now."

" Jaffa, you will let go of the girl now," Romnir commanded.

"I will not," Teal'c countered. Romnir closed his eyes and a chair flew up to hit Teal'c. He remained strong, and refused to let go of Haley.

"I will not harm the girl, I am on your side, now please let go," Romnir persuaded.

"If you were on our side then why did you injure Jack and now Teal'c?" Daniel asked.

"You were getting in my way. I need to leave now, I will bring back the girl when we are done, let us go."

"It's not happening," Jack said, standing in the doorway. Janet was behind him, holding an ice pack that was probably meant to be resting on Jack's head.

"So be it. The Jaffa will come as well." A flash of white light, and Haley, Romnir, and Teal'c were standing in the control room. Teal'c was still holding tightly onto Haley. Romnir closed his eyes again and all of the chairs flew out from beneath the men sitting at the controls. The gate started dialing, as the airmen scrambled to their feet and tried to stop the dialing computer.

"Teal'c what is going on?" Sam ran down the steps into the control room.

"This Asgard is very intent on taking Haley O'Neill through the Stargate."

"Sam help me!" Haley squealed.

Sam studied the alien. He was just as stubbornly holding onto Haley as Teal'c was. She lunged at him attempting to knock him off, but she was propelled backwards and landed roughly on the ground.

"Major Carter, he appears to have telepathic abilities," Teal'c noted a little too late. Three or four SF guards ran into the room, guns drawn.

"Hold your fire!" Carter yelled at them. She wasn't sure if the Asgard could reverse the bullets. "What do you want with her?" she pleaded with Romnir, "maybe we can work together, without hurting anybody."

"That is not possible." Romnir replied. "You have an extremely slow gate," he complained, his weak body protesting all of the strain.

"Maybe you should put a note in the complaint box," Haley spat at him through gritted teeth. The gate connected, and in another flash of white light, Romnir, Haley, and Teal'c were moved to the gate room.

"Stop them!" Sam yelled from the control room. Romnir pulled Haley through the gate, Teal'c tried pulling her out of the Asgard's grip from his end, but it was of no use. Romnir had an iron grip on the girl. Haley let out a final scream as she was pulled through the event horizon.

xxxxx

Please review! Even constructive criticism makes me HAPPY!

p.s. If you're like me and need a mellow music mix to fall asleep to my recommendation of the week is Coldplay :) Goodnight!


	20. Awakenings and homecomings part 1

First of all sorry to all my readers that this took so long. I wanted to post a full chapter, not just a filler blurb, and I've beenworking, sick, working, taking care of holiday stuff, etc. Plus I had terrible writer's block for a bit. I think things are picking up again. I promise that I'll update a lot faster this time.

Thanks a bunch to Emerald Green Queen for your continued support. I hope I'm keeping you entertained! As for your comment about how the Asgard could overpower Teal'c, he was using his strong mental, telepathic abilities. It's funny I came up with that very shortly before the episode "Prototype" which I thought had a very similar concept. I hope that all makes sense. Please do call me out on any oddities that just don't work.

RomieG, firstly congrats, if you've made it this far then you have gone through the worst of the angst. No worries :) I hope this chapter clears things up. If you have more questions let me know!

BabeBunny, thanks for the review, sorry the story took longer than I promised. Like I said, things should start to speed up!

FINALLY on with the story! And I hope everybody has a happy healthy New Year!

xxxxx

"It's okay! Calm down," Daniel rubbed Haley's back.

"How'd I? Oh thank you, this is good, it _was_ a dream…" she mumbled a few more incoherent phrases as Daniel attempted to soothe her. "We're still on Thor's ship?"

"Yes," a lighter voice responded. Haley looked up to see Thor entering the room. "I believe you may have found the answers we have been looking for."

Haley shrugged and looked towards Daniel. "If she tells you what you want to know will you return us to Earth?"

"Yes, we will then have no further use for her at this particular time."

"Uhh, thank you?" Haley narrowed her eyes at Thor. Daniel let out a sigh and nudged Haley. "Okay, uh, what would you like to know?"

"Tell me what you saw while in stasis."

Haley closed her eyes trying to figure out where to begin. "Well, I was at my dad's house, I think it was a few months from now, cause it was spring time. Yeah, definitely spring. Anyways, I woke up and my dad had hot dogs for me to eat."

"You were eating a canine?" Thor questioned with as much shock as Daniel had ever seen from the alien.

"No, it's not an actual dog Thor," Daniel interjected. "It's actually made out of… well we're not entirely sure ourselves, but it's not dog. Hot dog is just the name given to it."

"I see… Please continue," Thor spoke, with a few blinks at Haley.

"So my dad brought Cassie and I- she's Doctor Frasier's daughter, you know her right? She's the ch-"

"Hale, keep going," Daniel directed.

"We shopped, which I kinda wish was real because I got some good stuff, alright, alright, sorry Daniel. Cassie and I met my dad, the rest of SG-1, and Dr. Frasier for dinner. Dinner was interrupted because they were called back to the base because of a ginormous emergency."

"Ginormous?" Thor asked.

"Sorry, never mind, really, really big emergency. It had to be big too, because my dad retired." Haley stopped to take a breath and gather her thoughts when another Asgard entered the room.

"There is some information of great interest to you," the Asgard told Thor. Haley immediately recognized his voice and let out a giant wail. She practically leapt into Daniel's arms, while he tried to calm her down.

"Why are you so greatly disturbed?" Thor asked. His companion just stood there blinking at Haley, not quite sure what was going on.

"It, it, was in my dream! You hurt me! You hurt my dad! You hurt people in the SGC!"

"The girl is mistaken-"

"I know who you are Romnir!" Haley pointed her finger at him. "And I know that you're one of the bad guys!"

"I have found sufficient information Daniel Jackson. You may return home now," Thor spoke as if nothing strange was occurring and one of his crew was not being accused of wrongdoings.

"Wait!" Haley screamed, only to realize she was in the gate room of the SGC. Her eyes widened as she realized that there were guns fixed on her. The sound of somebody screaming "stand down" was heard as Haley collapsed, Daniel quickly catching her on the way down.

xxxxx

Jack raced through the corridors, nearly knocking people over as he made his way to the infirmary. From the hall he heard "I'm fine! I SWEAR! Seriously what does that light even do!" Jack walked into the room and immediately a grin spread across his face. His daughter was propped up in bed and kept swatting at the nurse who was trying to shine a penlight into her eyes.

"Hi there," Jack sat on the side of Haley's bed. Her face lit up and she threw her arms around him. Jack held onto her as firmly as he could, afraid to let go.

"Daddy, you're hurting me," Haley grumbled into his shoulder. He loosened his grip on her and placed a kiss on her forehead. "Please get me out of here," she pleaded eyes wide and begging.

"Colonel, I believe the dehydration and malnourishment on Thor's ship combined with the shock of being returned into the gate room with a dozen guns fixed on her caused Haley to faint," Doctor Frasier informed him, entering the room. "I just want to do a simple checkup to make sure everything is alright. Daniel is suffering from the same condition right now; apparently the two of you share the same distaste for Asgard cuisine. HE didn't fight me on the exam though."

"Like he would," Haley moaned. Jack chuckled, but stopped when Janet sent him a death glare.

"Listen to the doc, she knows what she's talking about." Haley closed her eyes and stuck out her arm for the blood to be drawn. With her free hand she grabbed onto her father's and squeezed as hard as she could when the needle was injected and the blood taken.

"See, it wasn't that bad."

"Speak for yourself Doc, she needs her nails cut!" Jack rubbed at his hand, eliciting a chuckle from Haley. Jack's face turned somber and he studied his daughter. She looked exhausted. Her skin was pale, and drew attention to the dark circles under her eyes.

"Why are you staring at me?"

"You're here. You don't know how happy that makes me." Haley let out a slight smile and rolled her eyes a bit.

"That's kind of corny…"

"Look what you've reduced me to child!"

"I'm not a-"

"Yeah, yeah… I'll give you some privacy here while the good doc finishes your exam. I'll be in the hallway if you need me."

Jack stepped out of the room, feeling as if a few hundred pounds had been lifted off of his back. It did seem too good to be true, but for the moment he could breathe a sigh of relief. Waiting in the hall were Teal'c, Carter, and General Hammond.

"How is she Jack?"

"Needs some food and water, but they've returned her in one piece, sir."

"I'm glad to hear that. Dr. Jackson will debrief us once Dr. Frasier releases him from the infirmary. I have to call the president and try to figure out if our alliance with the Asgard is over or not."

"Sir, I was kind of hoping we could locate their ship if it's still here, and shoot it out of the sky…" General Hammond let out a giant sigh while Teal'c raised an eyebrow and Carter's mouth hung a little bit open.

"You can't kill the Asgard," a sad voice came from the doorway. Everybody turned to see Haley, and it was clear that she was about to cry.

"What you like your kidnappers now? The Asgard have screwed around with my life far too much! Where do they get off-" Jack trailed off when he heard short sobs coming from his daughter.

Jack stepped over to Haley to offer her a hug. "What's the matt-"

"NO! Leave me alone!" she pushed him off of her and ran back into the infirmary. Jack was bewildered and had no idea how to calm Haley down because he wasn't entirely sure what had made her so upset.

"Would you like me to try and speak to her sir?" Carter offered. Jack closed his eyes and nodded. He was left with Teal'c and Hammond. The General let out a sigh and excused himself claiming the president was waiting for his call.

Jack squeezed his eyes shut, feeling the beginnings of a massive headache. "O'Neill, I believe I know how you have upset Haley O'Neill."

"Yeah, how's that T?"

"She thinks that you are angrier with the Asgard for bringing her into your life than for taking her away."

"That's ridiculous!"

"Sometimes when people, especially adolescents, are in turmoil they often bound to the wrong conclusions."

"Jump, T."

"Why do you wish me to do that?"

"It's jump to the wrong conclusions- oh were you trying to make me smile? I get it, thanks." Jack let out a deep sigh, "what am I going to do with her?"

xxxxx

"Haley you don't see what everybody else sees," Sam tried to gently explain to the girl whose back she was currently talking to. Haley was curled up on the infirmary bed fixing her eyes on a crack on the far left wall. "When you were missing he was a mess-"

"He's never a mess. Come on Sam, you know he never shows emotions!"

"You and I both know that's not true. Yes your father tries to hide or push back his worries, but when it comes to you he's not that talented. We all knew he was going crazy with worry. Trust me. Nobody on base wanted to be within a hundred feet of him… myself included."

"R…r…really?" she sniffed.

"Yes. Are you ready to see your dad?" Haley rolled over and looked up at Sam, who genuinely appeared to be telling the truth. She looked like the past week had taken a huge toll on her. Haley slowly nodded.

"If you don't want that IV we were discussing earlier I suggest you eat right now Miss O'Neill," Dr. Frasier announced, carrying a tray to her patient.

"I'm going to get the Colonel," Carter informed them, leaving Haley with the doctor, a plate of food, and the threat of an IV. Poor Janet, she thought, those O'Neill's make horrible patients.

xxxxx

It didn't take Sam long to find Jack. He was sitting in the commissary poking around at a piece of cake. Teal'c was on the opposite side of him feasting on what appeared to be the SGC's entire stock of fruit.

"Your presence is being requested," Carter informed the colonel sitting down across from him and next to Teal'c.

He didn't meet her eyes, continued to prod at the cake, and mumbled "by who?"

"By whom? Your daughter," with those words Jack's eyes quickly flew up to lock with Sam's. "I think she still needs a little reassurance from you that you really do care."

"How could she even question how I feel?" Jack angrily asked.

"She's been through a rough time, her whole world repeatedly turned upside down. A little insecurity is only natural."

"Indeed, O'Neill, it is a father's duty to make his children feel exceptional. I believe that you have this power within you."

"Thanks T," Jack rose from his seat and straightened out his shirt. "I guess I better go and act all mushy… _The things you do for kids_," he grumbled. "Carter I'll find you later," he patted her shoulder and walked off towards the infirmary. Sam's cheeks reddened, as she grew nervous of anybody catching that little contact.

"You are extremely paranoid," Teal'c noted. "Is a comrade not allowed to make friendly contact with fellow teammates?" Sam let out a nervous chuckle and excused herself to finish up some work in her lab.

xxxxx

Dr. Frasier stood watch over Haley while she munched on a piece of toast. She had proven to be just as stubborn a patient as her father, down to the same fear of needles. She hadn't tried escaping though, and remained respectful throughout her stay. A hand on her shoulder interrupted Janet's thoughts and made her jump a little.

"Daniel! You're supposed to be resting," Janet chastised, knowing that he was getting restless.

"I'd much rather rest in my own bed, and the briefing isn't until tomorrow anyways." Daniel gave one of his mastered puppy-dog looks, knowing he'd get his way.

Janet let out a sigh. "I was actually planning on leaving soon anyways. As soon as I make sure she's in good hands," she nodded towards Haley, now gulping down some orange juice.

"I promise I won't let her out of my sight Doc." Jack walked into the room and sat on the edge of Haley's bed. Her smile was at first timid, but began rapidly spreading across her face.

"Daddy, I… I'm sorry I yelled at you earlier. I think I might have been wrong…"

"You think?"

"Okay, okay, I know… Sam kinda made me feel better." Haley looked around and pulled Jack closer to her. "She's a keeper you know," she quietly informed him.

Jack just smiled and hugged his daughter. "You know you're the best thing in my life. If I had to make a choice I would tell Thor to give you to me again. I just wouldn't let him take you… back." Unbeknownst to the O'Neill's, Janet and Daniel had discreetly slipped out of the room. Jack figured the doc would have made it clear before going home if she wanted Haley to remain in the infirmary any longer. "How about I spring you from this joint?"

"That sounds perfect; I'm ready to go home."


	21. Awakenings and homecomings part 2

WOW, seven reviews for my last chapter, an all-time high! I just hit the 30 reviews mark thanks to Freckles 101 (very cute name btw). KEEP REVIEWING! If you haven't reviewed yet and you're reading this it only takes a few seconds:) Even criticisms are welcome, I'd rather people tell me if my writing's going down than lose readers.

So anyways, I just wanted to thank firstly Emerald Green Queen as always, and you don't have to apologize for late reviews ever! I actually thought the same thing when writing Thor's "canine" comment, but I'm writing it from the perspective of he has studied the culture of Americans (since his favorite human is one) and finds it against their normal cultural beliefs. We'll hear about Romnir eventually, but right now the Asgard story is going to take a bit of a backseat for a chapter or few. I'm curious what you think of this chapter because I feel like it's different than the others I have done, yet cannot pinpoint how. I think mostly because it's kind of a necessary chapter to have, yet is more of a path from one part of the story to the next, rather than a really juicy bit. I'd love to hear your opinion.

That's So Megan- I'm glad you're enjoying the story so much! I hope this update entertains you, I promise the next chapter will be up within the week. I've got most of it laid out already :)

Thanks also to Natters, Eeesh, RomieG, and BabeBunny. Your reviews are what keep me going! Or have I said that already:)

Twelve days until I return to school, so I'm hoping to get out a bunch of chaptersbefore I leave to satisfy my loyal readers. Then it's back to school (for the first time in seven months:-o !) to pursue the path of an english major, where I will most likely be writing essay after essay, and hopefully partying in my spare time, hehe. But I could never give this story up, so I promise that while updates might be slower in twelve days, they will keep coming! (as long as I get the reviews, hehe)

Okay enough of my babbling incoherently, and on with the story...

ps, if anybody knows how to get those lovely page break thingies let me know, it'd be greatly appreciated!

xxxxx

The car ride home was pretty quiet. Haley had been taking in her surroundings, starting with the first checkpoint out of the mountain. She studied the scenery as they began their descent and noted that it had snowed. Her eyes became heavy and the next thing she knew Jack was gently shaking her, helping her out of the car.

"You should get going to bed," he told her, taking her jacket as they stepped through the door.

"I'm not ti- YAWN- okay, I guess I wouldn't have too much trouble falling asleep… I just don't get it, I was sleeping for _days_."

"Sometimes if you spend your days sleeping it just makes you more tired," Jack told her, starting to yawn himself. "Go get ready for bed," he ordered.

While Haley washed up Jack did a lap around his living room. He studied the family pictures hanging on the wall. Some pictures of Haley and Jack taken over the past few months, an SG-1 team photo taken at some team night barbeque, and a picture of Daniel, Janet, and Cassie. There was also a picture of him, Charlie, and Sarah that Haley had found and forced him to put up. His heart ached a little whenever he looked at that picture. Haley used to ask why she wasn't in that picture, and he would laugh and say she was the one taking it. It bugged Jack a little that Haley never got to know Charlie. She said her memories of him were very hazy, and she only remembered stories that Jack had told her. Once again a little anger boiled within him as Jack wondered how life truly would have worked out differently if Haley had been his child originally. At times like these he would stop and force himself to be thankful that she was in his life at all, and he had been given a second chance, even if the circumstances were extremely crappy for everybody.

Jack's focus began to shift towards work. He had made a prom- "Why is your hair so different?"

"What are you talking about Hales?" Jack smoothed down his hair as Haley entered the living room.

"HERE" she smacked her index finger into an old photo on the wall, "your hair is about the same color as mine, kinda a light brown. I'm not sure if you've looked in the mirror lately, but it is so totally not that color anymore!" Haley smirked.

"My hair started turning gray the day you came into my life."

"Liar."

"You better get going to bed. You know we have to go back to the base tomorrow, right?"

Sighing, Haley nodded. "I sorta figured."

"Yeah, General Hammond only let you go today because he knows you've got him wrapped around your finger."

"You know he likes me more than you."

"Most people do," Haley nodded with her father's assessment. "You'll need to give him a run through of everything that happened with Thor. Daniel will be there to help, too."

"I understand…"

"You do?"

"Yup, I did kinda meet with the galaxy's version of the president, right?"

Jack gave a chuckle, "yeah… I guess you could say that. The others will get a kick out of that one."

"Is that what you do? Tell Sam, Daniel, and Teal'c amusing things I say and do all the time?" Jack shrugged and nodded. "So weird…" she mumbled just loud enough for him to hear.

"Y'know, I'm proud of you. I can't say that I'd be so willing to go back and talk about the whole Thor thing if it were me," Jack had his hands in his pockets, and rocked back and forth on his heels, avoiding eye contact.

"I guess we're not the same person, now are we?"

"I guess not," Jack gave Haley a thin smile feeling a huge sense of relief. He'd have to ask Carter about how the whole cloned personalities thing worked again.

"Daddy?"

"Huh? Yeah?"

"You're staring at me funny, is something wrong?" She had her eyebrow raised, ready to interrogate.

"No, no, just trying to think again," he hit his head, "You know the ol' brain sometimes starts to freeze up, like the computer!"

"I thought I smelled smoke…"

"Alright, enough; go to bed." Haley gave him a hug and Jack placed a kiss on top of her head.

"I'll try not to disappear this time," she gave an anxious smile.

"Could ya try?" he whined while shoving her in the direction of the stairs.

"I love you."

"Love you too."

xxxxx

"No offense, but you look like crap Jack." Jack rolled his eyes as he sat down at the commissary table with his team.

"Thanks Daniel. I needed to hear that."

"What Daniel Jackson means O'Neill, is that you do not look well rested. Did you not sleep well last night?"

"Nah… I… well I couldn't stop checking on Haley last night. I was a little worried that Thor'd come in and borrow the kid again."

"Where is she now, Sir?"

"The Doc wanted to run some tests or something, make sure everything's alright." The four ate in silence for a minute or so, until something from last night popped into Jack's head. Well, two things, but the second he wasn't quite ready to discuss in front of Daniel and Teal'c. Yet. "Carter?"

"Yes Sir?"

"I'm still having trouble with the whole clone thing…" Jack watched as a worried expression quickly spread across not only Carter's face, but Daniel and Teal'c's as well.

"After all this Jack? Are you kidding me!" Daniel nearly yelled, starting to rise from his seat.

"Whoa, whoa, calm down there Danny-boy. What I'm trying to say, _CarternotDaniel_ is that I don't really understand the whole…" Jack groaned, waving his hand in the air, hoping Sam would read his thoughts.

"The individual personalities aspect of cloning?" Carter suggested.

"YES!" Jack slammed his fist into the table, causing some milk to spill out of his cereal and others in the room to turn towards SG1's table.

"Well, to put it simply-"

"My favorite way."

"Clones aren't exactly how you see them in the movies. With the exception of doubles, which is an entirely different subject that I'm hoping we will not have to broach due to the Asgard…" Carter started babbling nearly incoherently, but Jack was able to pull out one major idea out of all the scientific mumble-jumble- he and Haley were two separate people with their own individual thoughts. Any personality traits they shared were most likely due to Jack "raising" Haley. Then Carter got off on a tangent about the whole "nature vs. nurture" debate and ruled that it was possible that certain characteristics could be passed on gene… something, something, something. Jack checked his watch, but it was Teal'c that announced it was time for the briefing.

xxxxx

Jack tried to gather his thoughts comprehensibly "So, Sir, what basically happened, I'm gathering, is that the Asgard created Haley as some kinda storage device and hastily dropped her on Earth knowing she'd be taken care of."

The General looked to both Sam and Daniel who nodded for Jack to continue. "So then Thor decides to borrow her, without asking might I add, to get some information in her brain that tells him who on his ship is a traitor?"

"That's what it appears happened," Daniel said.

"So she can see the future?" Jack asked, eyes narrowed, his voice rising about an octave, nearly squeaking.

"Well, Sir, we're not entirely sure, since we still haven't been able to get in touch with the Asgard. From all the tests we've done it seems that the Asgard were only able to access these 'future memories' with a stasis device. Needless to say, I don't think it's possible for Haley to ever see into the future on her own."

"So is she in danger of being taken by some overly-eager freaks in the NID who think they know better than the Asgard?" Jack questioned, growing antsy.

"No, this is slightly less paperwork for you Jack, because we're not going to file a report," General Hammond informed them. "Nobody will ever have reason to question Haley's true background. As far as the president himself is concerned she is your daughter. If anybody else goes digging they will find the hospital Haley was born in and that her mother, Laura Thompson, is now deceased."

"Laura Thompson?" Jack questioned.

"You're lucky we have a top computer expert on our side, son," Hammond shared a smile with Sam.

"Haley might need this in the future, Sir," Sam handed Jack a manila envelope.

"What is this?" he pulled out a copy of her birth certificate that looked no less legitimate than his own. Sam shrugged and gave a proud smile. A knock on the briefing room door interrupted Jack's questions.

"Come in," General Hammond responded. Haley peeked her head in the doorway.

"I figured you were all talking about me, and I was wondering if I'm allowed back in yet."

"We're done here Haley," Hammond told her, rising from his seat. "I have work to do; you're all free to leave early today. One week's downtime is effective immediately for SG1; it's been a long month."

"Sweet," Haley and Jack said at the same time. Haley burst into giggles. "No giggling," her father ordered. "_It's contagious,_" he added under his breath, hoping his daughter wouldn't figure out his fear of large groups of girls giggling.

xxxxx

"Sa-am," Haley stood outside her lab. "Whatcha doin'?"

"I am packing up my things so that I can get home," she responded, throwing the girl for a loop.

"You realize you have dow- what? You're leaving? I'm shocked! Daniel owes me a brownie frappucino!"

"He always does that!" Sam exclaimed, though not surprised.

"Bet coffee?"

"No, no, bet on me." Sam lowered her voice and leaned closer to Haley, "then again I've heard rumors the whole base has bets going on my personal life." Haley thought back to her dream on Thor's ship and fought back the huge grin that was threatening to spread across her face.

"Do you know what night it is? Thursday!" Haley finished before Sam could process an answer. "Are you coming over?"

"This feels like deja-vu…"

"You have no idea what deja-vu feels like Carter," Jack declared. "I've come for my child; I figured she'd be here. You joining us tonight?"

"Of course. Actually, I was just about to head out now. I just wanted to stop at the ATM. I'll meet you at your house," she gently pushed the two out of her lab, grabbing her belongings behind her. "I'll see you later!" she called out as she hurriedly marched down the hallway.

"She's in a rush. Seemed nervous too," Haley observed.

"You know Carter, she can be a little tense…"

Jack took his time getting his and Haley's jackets, much to her displeasure. She was extremely anxious to get home and watch one of her favorite TV shows, which she had asked Jack repeatedly if he had remembered to tape it for her. When they finally got to the front door of their home Jack quickly covered Haley's eyes.

"What are you-" but Haley was already freed, and greeted by a giant "SURPRISE!"

xxxxx

hehe a bit of a cliffhanger, but I will tell you it's not a birthday... and what is this favorite tv show you may be wondering? Review and the answers will come soooooon!

In the meantime go out and catch up on the first season of Veronica Mars (AMAZING!) and then when you're done watch the second season on UPN because it's my absolute favorite favorite show right now and I want everybody around the world to watch! (PS that's not the favorite show in this story because the time-lines don't match up)


	22. Just fine

Hi everybody! Sorry this wasn't THE NEXT DAY like I had intended, but I ended up going skiing for the weekend. Yesterday was my last day of work (sobs) and I've been spending the day writing in between laundry loads. I have a lot to do before I leave! But the story is coming along well, and I should spit out a few more chapters before leaving on Sunday. Enough about me though...

First of all, thank you Emerald Green Queen. Your comments (as usual) were beyond helpful.

StarGazer- I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far!

Freckles- :) As excited as I am that you like the story... I'm even MORE excited that you're a Veronica Mars fan too!

Thanks RomieG

BabeBunny- hope I didn't make you too hungry/thirsty!

Keep reviewing! Reviews make me write/update EVEN FASTER!

xxxxx

"SURPRISE!"

Haley's eyes widened, she wasn't quite sure what was going on. In their living room were the other three members of SG1, Janet, and Cassie. There was also a little tree about two feet high wrapped up in multicolored lights. Each person was holding a wrapped gift… wasn't it like mid-January? She turned and looked at her father for some answers.

"You missed Christmas; I thought no kid should have to miss Christmas!"

"Thank you so much! I have the best family!" she squealed throwing her arms around Jack, and then making her way through the room one by one giving out bone crushing hugs.

"Okay let's open your gifts now!"

"One minute Cass, I have some gifts to give out too," Haley ran up the stairs to her room.

"When did she find the time to get gifts?" Jack wondered.

"I'm a planner!" she yelled from upstairs.

xxxxx

Apparently, Haley had begun gift shopping shortly before Thanksgiving, deciding to beat out Black Friday. Slowly she had collected gifts for everybody in her "family". Haley had given Teal'c the DVD of "Spaceballs" ("I can't believe you've never seen it!"), Cassie a pair of Paul Frank pajamas ("because they're the comfiest pajamas you'll ever have, and they're cute, too"), Daniel the French edition of The Little Prince ("I read it in my French class, and I thought you'd love it too"), and the Train CD "Drops of Jupiter" for Sam, Janet, and Jack ("you'll never ever ever want to turn it off"). She also got her dad the Simpsons "Road Rage" game for the Playstation, and Sam a cooking for dummies book, with dummies crossed out and "geniuses" written above it in magic marker.

It was Haley's turn to open all of her presents. Daniel, Janet, and Cassie went first, handing her a small gift. She carefully opened up the wrapping paper and let out a slight gasp when a little blue box was revealed. She hurriedly pulled open the ribbon and pulled out of the teeny bag a silver bracelet with little star links. It matched Cassie's, and she had been telling her friend how much she loved it and wanted one since the day Cassie had first gotten it. "Thank you so so so so much! Omigod! Oh… My… God! Can you believe this Daddy?"

"Not at all. Completely shocked. Dumbfounded. Words cannot ex-"

"Open mine HaleyO'Neill." Haley gaped at the giant box, trying to figure out what was inside. This she tore the wrapping paper off of, and pulled off the top of the box. There was a book on mediation and a book on yoga, as well as a yoga mat, and an instructional video. "I hope you find this relaxing."

"He got me the same gift, I use it everyday!" Cassie informed her.

"Thank you Teal'c! I can't wait to use this."

Sam's gift was next. It was a plush bathrobe and Steve Madden fuzzy slippers. Haley immediately tossed off her shoes to put on the slippers. Jack slipped out of the room when the pizza was delivered, all ten pies, but didn't come back immediately.

"Daddy? What are you doing? It doesn't take that long to grab paper plates!"

"Hold your horses; I'll be there in a minute!"

_He's up to something…_ Haley thought. She started to stand up to figure out what the hold up was for herself, but grabbed her and pulled her down to the ground. "What is going on?" Next her eyes were covered up. "Come on, this isn't fair!"

When Haley's eyes were freed she saw her father standing in front of her with a pair of Salomon X-Free skis. There was a little note attached to the top of the skis saying "I.O.U. BOOTS". Haley jumped up and threw her arms around her father.

"Thank you thank you thank you!"

"Well, look at where we live, how could I not let you ski?"

"So when are we going?"

"Correction, when are YOU going? You know my knees aren't made for skiing anymore."

"I would love to take you and Cassandra, that is if you're not too cool for me," Janet offered. Both girls looked to each other for confirmation.

"Well, _I guess_ we could handle that," Haley stuck out her tongue at Janet.

"We have some sweet girls, don't we Jack?"

"You know it."

xxxxx

After all the pizza had been eaten and everyone was thoroughly exhausted, Jack was left to clean up the mess. Wrapping paper was piled up in a corner, and pizza boxes and paper plates made up two other stacks. Sam stayed behind and helped Jack clean up. Haley had gone off to her bedroom to put away her gifts. It didn't take as long as expected to make the living room look as good as new, so Jack and Sam settled in to watch some television while waiting for Haley to reappear. Unbeknownst to them, she was pacing her room, thinking over her argument strategy. _Okay, I can do this. Be strong O'Neill, no backing down… _

Haley entered the living room, arms folded across her chest.

"Is there something I can do for you?" Jack asked, raising his eyebrow at her stance.

"I miss my friends. When am I allowed to go back to school?"

"Wait, am I getting this right? A kid who WANTS to be in school? Okay, maybe Carter was like that… but seriously-"

"Daddy, please! It's not that I don't love hanging out with you, the party was amazing, I couldn't have asked for anything better, but seriously hear me out. I need to be with people MY AGE! And don't say Cassie because she's at school too! You don't have to worry about me leaving again; I can feel it in my gut. It's over, it's all over. Now please, let me call my friends and tell them I'm back!"

"You realize you're going to be very behind."

"Well duh, but if I don't go back at all I'm going to be really really far behind everybody else."

"Good point."

A wicked grin spread across Haley's face. "Get me a tutor!"

"Don't look at me!" Sam held her arms up. "I'd love to help, but I've got a pretty busy load as it is."

"I know silly. I wanted you to help Daddy and I find a tutor."

"THAT I can do. With the right tutor you'd have her caught up in no time Jack."

"Okay, you're right. I suppose it's right to let you go back to school. You remember your cover story, right?"

"Yes," she groaned. "I was with my Aunt Karen, helping her through a rough time in East Bumble F-"

"Watch it"

"In the middle of nowhere, so I couldn't exactly get in touch with people."

"Alright Hale, you're good."

"Can I call my friends tonight?"

"It's a little late, can you wait until tomorrow?"

"Oh fine." At that point Sam glanced at her watch and announced it was time to go. "It's okay Sam. I really don't mind, I like having you around here. I'm pretty sure I've told you that before."

"You heard the kid, like it or not, you're stuck here," Jack grinned.

"Well, if I don't have a choice…"

"Nope, sorry, not a say," Jack chuckled.

"Now that I have you both here, we can watch my tapes of Alias!" Haley reached for the remote and had Jack and Sam scoot over so she could sit on the couch as well.

"I just don't understand why you like it so much," Jack wasn't particularly fond of the show, but he usually put up with it as long as Haley didn't give him too hard a time over all of his sports programs.

"Sydney Bristow is just the coolest person… EVER. I want to be a butt kicking spy just like her!"

"I think what appeals most to you is the strong-female lead. She's a good role model," Sam supplied.

"Just like you," Jack squeezed Sam's shoulder, and Haley just rolled her eyes. _She must practice that eye roll_, Jack thought_, because she is WAY too good at it. _

xxxxx

The next morning Jack was standing in front of the frying pan trying not to burn his French toast while Sam sat a few feet away sipping her coffee. "This is nice," she observed.

"Yes, it is." The sizzle from the pan marked the silence. "We could make this a daily ritual."

_How does he make even the biggest of suggestions without any trace of emotion in his voice?_ "What are you talking about? You know we can't do that. And I suppose you'd want to carpool to work together and hold hands as we sign in every morning?"

"Don't be silly." Sam turned her head slightly and narrowed her eyes at Jack trying to study him.

"Last time I checked it's still illegal to sleep with your CO."

"Samantha Carter, you wild child. I bet some of your former high school classmates would be SHOCKED to hear you've broken the law. But don't get too high on breaking the rules yet- I'm resigning."

"You're what? I can't let you do that-"

"Relax; being with you is just an added bonus to the whole resignation thing." Jack placed a plate of French toast on the table. "I better go wake Hales up or she'll be pissed that she missed out on breakfast." Before Jack could do that, though, the sounds of angry footsteps were heard stomping down the steps. "Everything okay?"

"NO. Tommy has not been answering his phone. When I went online last night before bed he signed off just a few seconds after I came on! I think he's avoiding me…"

"Maybe it's just a misunderstanding," Sam suggested.

"I think you should break up with him."

"Daddy, please. I'm not in the mood this morning."

"Will it make you feel better to know I'm meeting with your guidance counselor this afternoon so you can get back to school on Monday?" Her solemn face quickly sported a grin. "Have you made any plans with your friends yet today?"

"I'm supposed to see Monica this afternoon. That reminds me, can I have some money for lunch?" Jack reached into his pocket and pulled out a twenty.

"Don't spend it all at once, k?"

"Thanks Daddy," she quickly put it away before he could change his mind. The three ate their breakfast in relative silence. Afterwards Haley ran off to get ready to see her friend, leaving Jack and Sam alone again.

"I'm meeting with Hammond after I finish up with the high school."

"What are you going to say to him?"

"I've been having an illicit affair with my second-in-command and I'm ready for him to cuff me."

"Jack."

"Pretty much what I told you. George is a pretty bright guy; I don't think he gave us one week's downtime because we needed rest. He's giving me time to make up my mind. Although I don't think he expected me to have it already made up… but why tell him about you and I? It's nobody's business, and I'm sure I won't be transferred off of SG1 immediately after handing in my resignation, so we'd be that much more under the magnifying glass until it goes through."

Sam nodded, relieved that she didn't have to ask him to be careful what he told General Hammond. There was still a huge part of her that felt guilty for breaking the rules the way she was, and she was extremely worried that the General would lose a lot of respect for her if he found out what was going on. Luckily, Jack understood her worries, and she was pretty sure everything was going to be just fine.

xxxxx

If you're enjoying the story it takes two seconds to leave a review :)


	23. Changes begin

Okay superlong chapter here, hope this tides you over for a bit. Back at school, life is amazing, but super busy. Being an english major means reading for the rest of my life! But I did find time the last few days to spit this little number out. More to come very soon because I'm super inspired and tomorrow night I'm safety driver so I'll be staying in. SO... before I head out tonight I wanted to leave a little (okay this one is kinda a large) something for all of you to read. I hope you enjoy!

Quick thanks to Emerald Green Queen for adding me to your yahoogroup "good fanfic" links. I think this is going to be another introspective chapter, but I think the action is starting to build up again. We shall see :) And I'm glad you liked the Simpson's game last chapter. Great minds think alike!

BabeBunny- glad to fuel your Starbucks addiction!

Freckles- It's not over yet! But thank you, I'm glad you're enjoying the story. Also the first and second season of Alias are inarguably the best! Enjoy!

Whirlwind- Thanks for the review, I'm so happy you're enjoying the story! There's not too much Daniel this chapter, but I promise the next chapter is going to be super-Daniel-rich!

And now on with the story and my weekend :)

xxxxx

"I'm sorry?" General Hammond was having a rough day. SG-15 had returned from their mission a day early after running into some nasty Jaffa. Major Pierce was being treated for a staff weapon blast to the arm. Now, the leader of his top team was attempting to resign.

"I QUIT."

"Jack," Hammond leaned his forehead into his palm, "please tell me this has nothing to do with Major Carter."

"No sir." Hammond breathed a sigh of relief. Losing O'Neill was bad enough, but if Major Carter left the base would be dealt a heavy blow. He wasn't sure if that happened how he would be able to explain to the joint-chiefs how his second-in-command ran of with _his_ second-in-command. "I need to be home for Haley. If something happens to me out there what's going to happen to her?" Hammond started to open his mouth, but Jack didn't give him a chance to speak. "Nobody else should have to take on that extra responsibility. I need to be there for her. I promised that kid when this whole ordeal was over and done with I'd be finished. Finito… sir."

"Well, as the commander of the base I can't say I agree with your decision, but as a parent I do understand. I was worried something like this might happen, so I'm prepared to offer you another role at the SGC."

Jack leaned forward in his chair, "I'm listening…"

"With the rapid addition of SG teams and added personnel around here we're looking for somebody who could train these people. You've got the experience we need, and your training missions have gone very well in the past. Now, every now and then we may require your assistance off-world, but this will be more of a steady job. Are you interested?"

Jack didn't have to think twice before agreeing. He'd still be working, which meant he'd have something to do while Haley was at school all day, out of Carter's chain-of-command (_check that one off the list_), and would still see some action here and there. This, he could handle. It was almost as if Hammond had the job tailor made for h- a sly smile spread across his face. "Thank you Sir. When does this new job start?"

"You'll still be on an active schedule until we can decide upon a replacement for you."

"Alright, so I just have to stay alive for a few more weeks. I think I can handle that."

xxxxx

"Shouldn't Sam be here for this little talk, too?" Daniel asked as he took a sip of his beer.

"We, uh, actually spoke about it already." Daniel responded with a silent 'O' and propped up his head with his elbow.

"No getting drunk tonight, otherwise my pre-mission exam is not going to be pleasant."

"Jack, I'm not that bad."

"Indeed you are DanielJackson. Perhaps you should follow my lead and order a soda."

"Is Sam going to get command of the team?"

"They want somebody with a rank of Colonel, since it's the frontline team. It probably won't be long till Carter's offered her own team though. She's definitely talented enough."

"She has been offered her own command previously."

"What are you talking about T?"

"Major Carter refused the position because she could not imagine being on any team but SG-1."

"She never told me that," Daniel looked like a wounded child. Sam usually let him know when big stuff like that happened, and this time she hadn't even mentioned it to him. He looked to Jack, who just nonchalantly shrugged. Inwardly, he wasn't too pleased either, but there was no way he was going to let anyone else see that.

"Finish your beer Danny-boy." Jack clapped his hands together. "NOW, who here is interested in one last SG-1 fishing trip?"

"Last implies there was a first O'Neill."

"I don't know… Can't we just have a team night and watch movies?"

"NO. For crying out loud, can't any of you ever humor me? Would it really kill you to spend a weekend fishing?"

"Quite possibly yes."

"Thanks Daniel."

"If you can get Sam to agree then I'm in."

"As am I."

"I've got her wrapped around my finger; it's a shoe-in." Daniel nearly choked on his drink, while Teal'c simply raised an eyebrow.

xxxxx

"No way."

"What?"

"I'm not going. I hate fishing."

"Have you ever been fishing?"

"No."

"Then how can you say you hate it?"

"I'm sorry Jack, but it just does not sound very appealing. Why don't we have a team night here? We can rent some movies, order in food."

"Are you sure you and Daniel weren't separated at birth?"

Sam merely frowned at Jack and continued to read her science magazine. Jack snatched it out of hands, causing her to scowl at him. "Hey, I was reading that!"

"Exactly. Don't you understand what downtime is? You're supposed to rest. Take it easy, kick up your feet, re-"

"I know how to take it easy."

"Do you?" Jack sat down next to Sam on the couch.

"Yes!"

"Really? You sure about that?"

"Jack, you're starting to get on my nerves."

"Okay, okay, but I'm not giving up about this fishing trip."

"You do realize that it's the middle of January right now."

"Yes. Your point?"

"The lake is frozen."

"So you're saying if the lake wasn't frozen you would go?"

"Oh I don't know."

"YES! We are so going in the spring!" Sam just buried her face in her hands. "Hey, why didn't you tell me that Hammond offered you a team command?"

Sam was caught off guard; she wasn't quite sure where that came from. "It wasn't that big a deal, I didn't want it."

"I think that's a pretty big deal. Did you turn it down because of me?"

"You've got some ego on you. As wonderful as you are-"

"I try."

"I enjoy being on SG-1 too much. It's the most amazing job I could ever ask for, and I don't think being on another team would be as…"

"Adventurous?" Sam smiled, he nailed it. "You can be such an adrenaline junkie." Sam shrugged. "Take it down a few notches, though. You won't have me watching after you soon enough."

"I think it's more Daniel you'll have to worry about getting into trouble."

"Oy, don't even get me started on that one! Hey, stop giggling." Sam turned her body so she could lean back into Jack's arms. "Are you staying for dinner?"

"I could easily be persuaded." Jack started to trail kisses down Sam's neck.

"EW," interrupted them, followed by the slamming of the front door. Footsteps stomping up the stairs were the next thing they heard, and then a door slamming shut.

Jack shrugged and started to continue, but Sam pushed herself away. "Aren't you the slightest bit concerned about why she's upset?"

"The slightest bit, yes."

"Jack."

"It's probably some kind of girl-world drama. You know I'm not good with that stuff. If she was pissed because the ref made a bad call at the JV football game, that I can commiserate with. I highly doubt that's the situation."

"Jack go upstairs right now and find out what is wrong." Sam stared him down until he got up off the couch muttering. Sam followed him up the stairs, to make sure he didn't make a bigger mess out of things.

Jack knocked on the door, and slowly opened it. Haley was on her floor furiously tearing through her photo album, pulling out pictures. As she reached to grab the scissors, Sam stepped in and took the photos. "You may regret this one day." Haley just glared at her.

"What happened?" Jack asked.

"What happened? WHAT HAPPENED! I've been gone for a month! Nobody knew if I was coming back! So _TOMMY_ moved _ON_. That's what happened!" By the time the last sentence was finished the final words came out in one loud shriek, causing Jack to wince.

"Did he break up with you?"

Haley let out another squeal. "He found another girlfriend! And didn't even tell me! I had to find out from Cindy Ulridge! I HATE HIM!" She started pacing the room, throwing her arms up every now and then.

"I'm sorry."

"No you're not. You hated me dating. Why should I be happy?"

"Hey! I didn't make him break up with you!" Jack started to feel defensive.

"Can you just leave me alone right now?"

"No! I'm trying to help!"

"Well you'd be more help if you left me alone!"

"Do you want me to kill him? Because that might make you feel better."

Haley plopped herself down on the bed and threw her face into the pillow. Sam put her hand on Jack's shoulder silently indicating he should leave. Fearful of the teenaged girl Jack immediately consented.

Sam sat down next to Haley on the bed, and rubbed her back. "Hale, I'm sorry this happened."

"It's not fair Sam."

"I've had my heart broken plenty of times."

"You?" Haley rolled over so she was facing Sam, and wiped some tears from her cheeks. "Who would break up with you?"

Sam chuckled. "How about lots of people?"

"I find that hard to believe. You're like perfect Sam."

She ducked her head down, embarrassed. "Thank you, but I think you're over exaggerating. Unfortunately this is all a part of life. You'll probably have to break somebody's heart one day too."

"I wish I could break Tommy's."

"Who knows, maybe you did. You were gone for a long time, maybe he thought you had forgotten about him."

A small smile tugged at Haley's lips. "Really?"

"Yeah, why not? I bet he was very upset."

"I hope you're right Sam."

"Didn't you know? Sam's always right," Jack had reappeared in the doorway. Haley sat up and hugged Sam.

"Are you feeling a little less homicidal?"

"Only a little."

"Well I have some good news for you. I quit my job."

"Oh my God are you two getting married?"

"What?" Jack and Sam simultaneously spat back.

"Hales I'm taking a more stable job for you."

"Oh," she was a little dismayed at first, but then she realized exactly what her father just said. "For me? Thank you!" Haley got up and hugged Jack, nearly knocking him back a few steps. "You're the best."

"I know," Jack gave one of his trademark smiles that Haley just rolled her eyes at. "It's not easy being such a good dad, but, y'know, I get the job done."

"Okay yeah, sure whatever. So what's this new job?"

"I'll be training new recruits. _Sometimes_ I'll have to go off world, you know when there's nobody better for the job, but that's rare, and I'll be home in time for dinner everyday."

"Cool. You'll have to take cooking lessons though."

"Hey, I'm a pretty good chef. You don't starve." The phone rang, interrupting their banter. Haley nearly knocked Jack over getting to the phone. When she realized it was for her she gently cocked her head to the side, motioning for Jack and Sam to give her some privacy.

xxxxx

Jack and Sam were in the kitchen putting together a salad. Jack had made a snide remark along the lines of "but Carter you can't cook" earning a punch in the arm, and he was reduced to being the assistant. "Did you know Teal'c went to Chulak?"

"He called me to say goodbye a few hours ago."

"So I guess he's not going to Daniel and Doc's for dinner?"

"Seeing as he's on another planet, then no, I don't think he will be there."

"That's why I love you so much, you're such a genius." Sam smiled and leaned in to kiss Jack.

The sound of a throat clearing interrupted them, Sam felt her cheeks quickly burn up. "Your new job means that you two will be allowed to come clean, right?"

"Not until I'm officially off SG-1. That's not for at least another month."

"Well maybe then you two can go out places. Maybe other than _my kitchen_."

"Your kitchen Hales?"

"Daddy, at least just cool it til I'm gone. Speaking of which, I'm going out tonight!"

"Don't you mean can I go out tonight?"

"Not really. See Monica's throwing a party for ME! It's a 'welcome back Haley-O party!"

"Uh huh."

"Please please please, I **have** to go! This party is for ME!" Jack just stood looking at Haley with his arms crossed and a stoic expression plastered onto his face. "Sam, say something to him!"

"Hey, leave me out of this one!"

"Will Monica's parent be home?"

"Yes Daddy."

"Good, then you won't mind if I call them, just to double check."

"Don't you want me to be happy? I haven't seen my friends in FOREVER, my boyfriend just dumped me! I need this! Why can't you ever say yes?"

"I didn't say no."

"Might as well have," she huffed.

"Are you saying Monica's parents won't be there?"

"No."

"Then stop making such a big stink. I said I'll call them. If you're telling the truth then you better start getting ready for you party. Sam and I are leaving at 1800, which is an hour from now and you're a slow poke. Otherwise you can walk to Monica's." Haley just stood for a moment gaping at Jack. Suddenly what he said clicked into place. She frantically grabbed a piece of paper and started scribbling on it.

"Okay here's the number, I'm going upstairs to change. Thank you!" and then she was gone.

"Now where were we?" Jack questioned, pulling Sam over towards him.

"Not right now. I don't need your daughter walking in on us again," she gently pushed him away and turned back towards her salad.

"Kid's got worse timing than Daniel," he muttered, reaching for the phone to call the Hardin's.

xxxxx

"Mo-om. You have to let me go. Haley invited me."

"I don't know Cass. I'm not too comfortable with the idea of you going to a party with all these older kids."

"One year older Mom!" Cassie let out a giant sigh. "Haley's one year older too. It's not that big a deal."

Janet closed her eyes, "fine."

"YES! Thank y-"

"But I'm calling to see if this girl's parents are going to be home."

"That's so embarrassing!"

"Cassandra."

"Yeah?"

"Don't push your luck. Go find Daniel for me." Cassie left to seek out Daniel keeping her fingers crossed that Monica's parents would be home. Meanwhile Janet flipped through the school directory.

"If your mom lets you go why don't you invite Haley to stay here tonight?"

"Good idea Daniel!" Cassie and Daniel entered the living room, as Janet was ending her phone call.

"It's all clear," Cassie happily squealed. "Would you mind driving her over while I finish up the dinner?"

"Sure, I'll go get my shoes on," Daniel left Janet and Cassie alone.

"I know I've given you this speech before, but I just want to make sure you know the dangers of drugs and alcohol…"


	24. Easy Breezy

Hi all! Sorry it took me so long to update... college kinda got in the way. Between midterms and spring break, and trying to fit in a life in there I've been a _little_ busy. Did get to spend spring break in London, though, which was awesome! So I'm back into writing again, and after writing myself into a bit ofa corner I now feel inspired, and have found my way out. Review quickly and expect another chapter by the end of the week.

Thanks to my loyal reviewers: Freckles, Whirlwind, RomieG, and of course Emerald Green Queen.

EGQ- As always you write the **best **reviews. I do have quite a few tricks up my sleeve, but be patient, it might take a little time to fully be revealed. Ah yes, the rollercoaster. Should be interesting... anyways read on and enjoy. This chapter is a little long, but hopefully rewarding...

xxxxx

Haley had insisted on being early for the party since she was, of course, the guest of honor. Jack still felt somewhat uneasy about this, and insisted on greeting the parents before leaving. Haley was mortified, but tried to be patient. Once Jack was satisfied that all was well, or at least well enough, he took off. Haley headed up to Monica's room and proceeded to change out of her jeans and a tee shirt into her real outfit for the evening.

xxxxx

Janet opened up the door to find her two guests a few minutes earlier than expected. "I just have to turn off the oven, make yourselves at home," she instructed, taking the salad out of Sam's hands and heading towards the kitchen. "Daniel should be back from dropping Cassandra off any minute now."

"Yeah, about this party…" Jack started, as he shucked off his coat and reached for Sam's.

"I know it's making me uneasy as well," Janet responded, sticking her head out of the kitchen. Jack hung up their jackets and joined Sam on the couch.

"I don't know what you two are so worried about," Sam laughed, drawing a scowl from Jack. Janet entered the living room and dispensed glasses of wine.

"Just wait until you have children," she smiled. Sam got an uneasy feeling in her stomach. She really hadn't thought that far in advance, and had no clue what her future held. To be honest she wasn't one-hundred percent sure where her relationship with Jack was going. They had been seeing each other for about two months now. Seeing each other. That was a funny term. They couldn't go out in public, not yet, anyways. Sleeping together was more appropriate. Basically Sam spent time with Jack at his house, and very rarely, her house. She didn't know what was going to happen after Jack's transfer went through. Sam wasn't entirely ready to ask Jack that question. He could be very private. Would he want to hide their relationship from people on base? Would she care?

"Hey, Earth to Sam," Jack nudged her.

"Huh? Oh I'm sorry."

"Where'd you go there?"

"I was just thinking."

"I didn't know you were capable of stopping." Jack just smiled at Sam, completely clueless, as usual. Janet sipped her wine, hiding her smile. She had a pretty good idea of what was going on in Sam's mind. She had the same questions for her friend the next time the two were alone.

"While we wait for Daniel, why don't I bring out some appetizers?"

"Do you need a hand?" Sam offered.

"That would be great, thank you." The two women left Jack alone in the living room. As soon as they were out of his earshot Janet quietly spoke. "SO," Sam made a face suggesting she had no clue what Janet was talking about. "He's giving up his position on SG-1!"

"Relax; it's not because of me."

"Do you wish it was?" Janet took out a plate, and began placing vegetables on it.

"No! I would feel so guilty. I could never ask Jack to give up his career for me."

"Well, regardless of whatever reason he has left SG-1, he's left. You can't hide behind the rules for long."

"I have no idea where we're going from here, Janet, but I promise you'll be the first to know if it's ever figured out."

"Have you ever, oh I don't know, thought of talking to Jack?"

"You know he doesn't do feelings well. The past few times we've had any conversation with that kind of depth I knew it was killing him."

"And yet, you were the one who was able to get him to open up in the first place. Something many, MANY, people have failed at. If you can't talk about important issues then do you really have a relationship? Or is it all about the sex?" Janet asked, a grin creeping across her face.

Sam's face quickly turned beet red. "JANET!" Sam closed her eyes and took a big gulp of her wine. "We need to go back out there. He's going to know we were talking about him."

"So let him. You worry far too much."

Jack picked up some kind of stone sculpture… thing on the coffee table and started studying it. The round circular object on top fell off into his hands. Quickly, he tried to put it back together.

"Whatcha doing there Jack?"

"Daniel! I… um…" Daniel took the pieces out of Jack's hands, as well as another object on the table and placed it on top of a shelf across the room.

"Where are Janet and Sam?"

"Supposedly getting appetizers, but it's been a few minutes. It's pretty safe to assume they're talking about me."

"What have you done now?"

"Hey! Why does everybody assume that I've screwed up?"

"Because you usually do?"

"Speak for yourself klutzy."

"Mature, real mature," Daniel mumbled, leaving Jack to find the ladies. He stuck his head in the doorway just in time to see Sam's eyes go ridiculously wide, and her face turn beat red.

"Enough already, okay! I'm perfectly relaxed, you have nothing more to worry about," Sam turned around and nearly bumped into Daniel in her rush to leave the kitchen.

He grabbed Sam's shoulders and steadied her. "Are you alright?" Daniel had a hard time suppressing his smile at how flushed Sam looked.

"I'm fine, just ready to eat."

"Right." Sam maneuvered herself away from Daniel's grip, and went to rejoin Jack.

"You're evil," Daniel whispered to Janet.

"Me?"

"You knew I'd be back in a few minutes! Couldn't you have waited?" Janet chuckled and walked past Daniel to bring out the appetizers.

xxxxx

"C'mere Cass," Haley ordered, patting to the open spot on the bed next to her. "Let me fix your hair." Cassie smoothed down the tiny skirt Monica had loaned her for the night, and surrendered her hair to Haley. "This is going to look really good," she promised, wielding her curling iron.

"We better change out of all this before we go home tonight," Cassie giggled.

"You worry way too much!" Monica lectured. As Haley played stylist, Monica rambled on about who would be attending the party. When Haley finished Cassie's hair, she grabbed both their arms and pulled them off the bed. "Come, look in the mirror." The three stood, bunched together in front of the mirror grinning at their quick transformations. Cassie's hair had been done in ringlets, and she was wearing a very short jean skirt of Monica's along with three inch Steve Madden platforms. She had opted to keep on the red sweater she wore to the party. Compared to her friends she was modestly dressed. Haley and Monica had matching pink miniskirts and coordinating tube tops. Cassie laughed at them, since it was still the middle of the winter, right? Monica pointed out that the heat was turned up and that since Haley was the guest of honor she had to stand out. So why was Monica wearing the same outfit? Cass had retorted. She was the host, Haley replied. The doorbell rang, and the three girls were startled from their place in front of the mirror.

xxxxx

"Are you ever planning on moving your stuff out of the apartment?"

"Why would I do that Jack?"

"I don't know Daniel… maybe because, oh… it's **your stuff**."

"Have you seen how much stuff he has?" Janet questioned, pointing at Jack with her chocolate cake stabbed fork.

"I still go there to do work, anyways. Once we get a house that has an office for me, and enough room for all of my things I'll sell the apartment."

"Do you need help house hunting?" Sam's last words were interrupted with Jack shoving a piece of the cake in her mouth. She startled giggling.

"I'm going to look at that castle tomorrow with SG-5. It appears to be abandoned by the Goauld. This place could be an incredible discovery-"

"Maybe you can move in there if it is unoccupied."

"Yes it is the ideal place to raise my daughter," Janet quipped.

"Vacation home?"

"Jack, does this mean you want to go on the mission with me?"

"Sorry Daniel, but Carter and I have to accompany SG-15 back to P3X-232 on Monday. We need to get back their equipment that had some important…" Jack paused and looked to Sam.

"The samples of the land they were taking showed that the planet might have large amounts of Naquaddah beneath the surface. We're fairly confident that we outnumber the Jaffa that attacked SG-15."

"Fairly?" Janet questioned.

"We're taking SG-3 along too. And I think Hammond plans on having another team on stand-by for backup. Easy breezy," Jack waved his hand in the air.

"I hate when you say things like that," Sam complained. "That's when things usually go wrong."

"Fine, I take it back, this will be the mission from hell. It is interrupting our downtime." Jack gave a wry smile.

"So are you trying to win back the land?" Janet questioned.

"First we're going to see if the land is even worth winning. And if so, we'll take some aerial surveys to figure out just how many Jaffa we'd need to overcome."

"Y'know, we never seem to talk about normal stuff. It's always all about the SGC."

Daniel turned his head sideways, and raised his eyebrows. "So what do you want to talk about Jack?"

"How about hockey? Anybody catch the game last night? Sudden-death overtime, doesn't get much better than that!"

"So Sam, let me tell your more about this castle I'm visiting-" Daniel was interrupted by a balled-up napkin being thrown at his head.

"Behave you two," Janet warned as she stood up and started collecting the dishes. Sam rose out of her seat to join. "Do you think you can behave while we're in the kitchen, for oh, thirty seconds?"

"Can't promise anything Doc." The women rolled their eyes, leaving Daniel and Jack to continue bantering. "Hey Daniel, thanks for suggesting Haley stay over here tonight."

"No problem. I figured you and Sam could use some time alone, and it'll be nice to have Haley over."

"Yeah, Sam won't let me near her when Hale's around. I think she's afraid of her or something."

"Imagine that, the spawn of Jack O'Neill invoking fear in others…"

xxxxx

A little bit of a to be continued... just such a long chapter I wanted to split it up. PLEASE REVIEW! Your reviews are what feed me!


	25. Manipulation or Jumping into a Ball Pit

This chapter pretty much takes place immediately after the last one. I'm sorry this took so long, I have been insanely busy with school. Being an english major may improve my writing, but it doesn't give me a lot of time to get any non-school related work done. So once again, my apologies.

BUTTTTTT I did notice that I only got TWO reviews for the last chapter. Come on people! Even a quick smileyface or frownfaceis better than... silence... anyways, I hope to get the next chapter out ASAP, but I'll try not to make any promises this time since I don't know how well I can keep them. Just remember, school ends in a few weeks (sob) so I'll have a lot more free time to write soon.

Thanks to Emerald Green Queen for being the best reviewer EVER. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Thank you to Whirlwhind also for you sweet review. I appreciate the reviews soo much! They're what keep me going...

anyways, on with the story...

xxxxx

previously:

"Imagine that, the spawn of Jack O'Neill invoking fear in others…"

xxxxx

"You actually had the nerve to show up at my welcome back party!" Haley acerbically greeted Tommy.

"I thought I was invited," he timidly responded.

"Now where would you get an idea like that?" she asked, pushing him towards the wall. He didn't fight back, but instead was squirming under her intense stare.

"Didn't you tell Monica to invite me?"

"Why would I do something so stupid?" her voice rose a few octaves, "Do you really expect me to want you here!"

"I thought we were still friends…"

"FRIENDS? Friends went out the window when I heard about you and Casey!"

"What are you talking about!" Tommy took a few steps towards Haley, but she shoved him away. As she was about to start yelling, Monica came and pulled her away from Tommy.

"Hales, let him stay, it's alright, you're better than him." With that Haley tossed off an evil eye to Tommy and walked off. Monica tried her hardest to suppress a grin.

"You seem pissed!" Eric Flynn noticed when Haley sat down next to him.

"I'll get over it," she smiled, "I just need a distraction…"

xxx

"Cass you want some?" Jeff, a cute guy, offered his Poland Spring bottle, which was half soda, half vodka.

"Sorry, but my mom's probably going to give me a blood test the second I walk through the door tonight."

"Sucks for you."

"Yeah… Aren't you having a good time?" Cassie added, watching with slight disgust as he chugged down the contents of the bottle without flinching.

"Sure! Haley is definitely entertaining."

"That she is!" Cassie giggled as she looked over to see Haley making out with Eric, and Tommy across the room fixated, looking dejected. Cassie looked back to the guy sitting next to her, that she had been eyeing since he had first been placed into her math class. She had made a point of helping him out when he had questions, and tried to sit in front of him every day. When she learned that he like altoids she started bringing them to class, so she could offer them to him every day. Just seeing his smile for a few seconds was worth the questioning stares from her mom or Daniel when they went grocery shopping and she bought the mints _every_ time. Okay, he wasn't _as_ appealing tonight slurring his words, but who needed to listen when you could just look?

xxx

After feeling like she had gotten the desired attention Haley left Eric to find Monica. "He was totally watching you the _whole_ time!"

"Did he look jealous?"

"YES."

"Good!" Haley felt extremely satisfied with herself, and the two decided it was time to start phase two of their little mission.

"I'll hang out with Eric for a bit, try to keep him away from you while you do your thing," Monica promised.

"Phase two now starting," Haley smiled.

xxxxx

"So did you decide on a mountain yet?"

"Funny that you ask that, Jack," Janet smiled, "I was wondering if you'd look over some of the mountains I was considering."

"Sure, no problem," Jack rose from the couch with a mumbled "oof" and followed Janet towards her office, leaving behind Daniel and Sam.

Sam took a generous sip of wine while Daniel sat staring at her.

"Drinking to loosen up?" he wondered.

"What do I have to loosen up about?"

"I don't know; what?" Daniel mirrored back.

"I AM relaxed!" Sam complained.

"Never said you weren't."

"Janet did."

"Well she is very intuitive. Do you think you need to relax?"

Sam sighed and rolled her eyes. "Was tonight an ambush or something, a chance for both you and Jan to corner me?"

"No, no, I'm sorry. You know I can't help but give you a hard time every now and then." Daniel smiled and gave a slight shudder, "I have no desire to repeat some of the things Janet asked you though. Seriously, feel free to keep that to yourself."

Sam grinned, and reached over to hug Daniel. "You know I love you, right?"

"Well that might get in the way of things," Jack's voice chimed in.

"Somehow I don't think you need to worry," Janet jokingly reassured him.

"Aw, and here I was ready to duke it out with Danny."

"Did you make up your mind?" Daniel asked.

"Breckinridge it is," Janet informed him.

"Good choice!" Sam concurred.

"Great mountain, not too far away, good for a daytrip. If the old knee holds up I was thinking of taking a longer trip somewhere further off, maybe Telluride."

"Knee?" Sam questioned.

"Oh yeah, I decided I'm going," Jack proudly announced. At seeing the anxiety in both Sam and Daniel he added, "Relax, Doc here cleared me. As long as I stay off of the moguls, I should be good to go. And how many people travel with their own doctor? I'm set. So what do you think? Sound exhilarating enough for you Sam?"

"It definitely has potential. When were you planning on taking this little trip?"

"As soon as we can all get some leave. I was thinking President's Day weekend next month. We usually get that off."

"Sounds wonderful," Janet agreed.

"I just want to see Teal'c ski," Daniel smiled, trying to picture the thought.

"He thinks the whole idea of skiing is ridiculous, but I bet we can sway him," Jack said.

"I don't know… he can be pretty stubborn."

"Is that a bet I smell Daniel?"

"You two and your bets," Sam smiled. "So if we go, does this cancel out our SG-1-bonding fishing trip?"

"_Ohforcryingoutloud_…"

xxxxx

Haley studied Tommy as he spoke to Shelley Mayer. She was obviously flirting with him, but he wasn't picking up on any of her signals. This had a good chance of working out, she smiled. Lightly tossing back her hair she sauntered over and tapped Shelley on the shoulder. "Mind if I speak to Tommy for a moment?"

Shelley gave a slight sigh and even slighter eye roll and walked off. "Are you going to yell at me again?" Tommy asked.

"Is that all you think I do?" Haley pouted.

"Well you seemed pretty angry before…"

"I had every right to be!" she stopped and lowered her voice, "listen, I'd like to forgive you."

"You would?"

"Yes I just need an apology so we can be friends again," she said, while running her hand up his arm.

"An apology… I'm not really sure what for-"

"You're not!"

"I, um, I mean I'm sorry. Really sorry. I'm happy you're back," he stammered.

"Me too," Haley smiled, leaning closer to Tommy. "Friends…" she leaned in and kissed Tommy. As she pulled away with a smile her quiet repeat of "friends" was interrupted by a shriek across the room. Haley turned around to see Cassie near tears, with her feet covered in (_ew_, Haley noted) Jeff Ingram's vomit. Haley immediately ran over. Jeff was hanging off the couch and had luckily stopped throwing up.

"Are you okay Cass?"

"No!" she cried. "I'm covered in, in-"

"Yeah, I can kinda see that… and smell it."

"Were you drinking with him?"

"No!"

"Oh good. For a second there I thought I was going to be murdered by your mom- or at least given a really big shot."

"Haley!"

"Okay, okay, take off your shoes, I'll take you to the bathroom to get cleaned up. Quickly," Haley shoved Cassandra towards the bathroom when she saw Monica's parents coming down the stairs to see what had caused such a racket.

xxxxx

"You're drunk," Jack stated to Sam, as they walked toward the car.

"No, just tipsy," she countered, giggling a little, and then putting a hand over her mouth to cover herself. Jack had a hard time fighting back a smile at her behavior.

"You're cute."

"Did I just hear Colonel Jack O'Neill use the word cute?"

"I can assure you it was a slipup, I meant hot."

"My giggling is hot?" Jack looked confused for a moment.

"You're not going to go blabbing to Janet that I said cute, right?"

"Not if you promise to use it again," Sam bargained, in a slightly sing-song tone.

"Fine, you Samantha Carter, were being _cute_." Sam covered Jack's right hand with her own and the two drove in relative silence for a few minutes. As Jack turned down Sam's street she started giggling quietly. "What?"

"I didn't know you thought scientists could be cute."

"Before meeting you, neither did I."

"So do you think Daniel's cute?" Sam giggled again as the car pulled into the driveway.

"He's just dreamy. No, only tall, leggy, blonde scientists… named Sam." Jack stepped out of the car and walked around to meet Sam. She purposely tripped a little and landed in his arms.

"You think I'm cute," she reiterated.

"You're in a silly mood tonight," Jack remarked.

"I'm _relaxed_. Is it bothering you?" Sam asked, eyes widening, as she snaked her arms around his neck.

"No, I love seeing this side of you." Jack was rewarded with Sam crushing herself into him. She kissed him soundly until he managed to get some words in. "Nice… as this… is… neighbors… can see us." They attempted to make their way up the front stoop without tripping over one another. Sam fumbled for her keys while still kissing Jack, until he got frustrated and grabbed the keys from her. Within seconds they were inside, door slammed shut with a kick. Soon the two began the dance of removing the other's clothes while attempting to travel through the house.

xxxxx

"Cassie you need to stop crying," Haley ordered as she peeked out the window, at the car pulling up the driveway.

"He threw up on me! I've had a crush on him for the _longest_ time and he threw up on me."

"At least you had a change of clothes," Haley consoled as they walked out the door. Upon seeing the condition of her daughter Janet jumped out of the car and ran over to the girls.

"Are you drunk?"

"No!" Haley and Cassie both fiercely answered.

"Why are you crying?" Janet put her arm around Cassie, also using it as a ploy to study her.

"I don't want to talk about it," she sniffed, and got into the car. As they drove home Janet took the opportunity to quiz the girls on the events of the night. Neither was very forthcoming, until Haley revealed that Jeff Ingram had "barfed all over Cassie." Cassandra let out another wail, and continued to cry.

"He was drinking!" there was silence. "Were either of you?"

"You asked us that already," Haley noted.

"We weren't drinking Mom."

Janet clenched the steering wheel. She wanted her little girl back. The one whose idea of parties involved either painting ceramics or jumping into a gigantic plastic ball pit.

The three ladies walked through the front door to be greeted by Daniel, nearly tripping over himself as he attempted to clean up. He had four empty wine glasses balanced in his hands, and Haley started to chuckle. Turning towards Janet and Cassie she said, "Aw you both like guys who can't hold their liquor!"

"Haley, go to bed!" Janet commanded. With a giant eye roll Haley left the room, Cassie following behind her.

"She can be a pain in the ass sometimes," Daniel remarked.

"I'd expect noting less than a handful from Jack O'Neill."

"I'm not drunk," Daniel insisted, pouting a little.

"I know honey."

"But Sam was," at that comment the two shared a slight smile.

xxxxx

Don't forget to review!


	26. In the loop

So this should be a pretty long chapter. The next chapter should be up pretty soon, I've got a good chunk written out already. So yes, it is finals week, so I hope you all appreciate my efforts to get the story out while attempting to keep up my grades :) The next chapter is going to be very experimental for me, so I hope that this one serves as a good bridge. There will be plenty of action soon. I'm still working on writing those parts, I think that's probably my weakest area, so feel free to send me any criticism, please!

Six reviews the last chapter, pretty good... I'm a brat though, I need more!

ThanksRomieG,Col. Natalie Evans, scottie dog for yourpositive reviews!

Whirlwind- it's possible...

Slayerboi- awesome review. Which areascould use more detaildo you think?I'malways looking to improve upon my writing

And Emerald Green Queen- thank you! Your review is always thelast one I wait for before proceeding with the next chapter. More action soon! I'm trying to gradually build up to that. Let me know what you think.

Thanks everybody! Keep reading and reviewing! Summertime is almost here, and with that should come some faster updates since I will be in severe withdrawl from having a life :-P Good luck with finals to all the students!

And now... on with the story...

xxxxx

Janet usually was very respectful of Cassandra's privacy. She knew that her daughter trusted her, and would come to her when necessary. After Cassie's refusal to talk about the events of last night she was a little more leery, and decided to hang around the kitchen while the girls ate their French toast. So far it sounded like Haley had caused quite a stir the night before. _Definitely a handful_, she told herself. What was worse, Haley seemed very proud of herself. Her thoughts were interrupted by the doorbell.

Cassie and Haley were rinsing off their dishes when their respective parents and Sam entered the room. "I got a new chess set Sam!" Cassie excitedly told her. "It's glass."

Haley went to retrieve her bag while Jack and Janet chatted. "Where's Danny boy?"

"He left early this morning for his mission."

"Oh yes, how can I forget the castle?" Janet gave him one of her patented _you exasperate me to no end O'Neill but I still love you _smiles. "Haley give you a hard time last night?"

"No… it does sound like the girls had an _interesting_ evening though. You may want to ask her about it."

"Anything I should be worried about?"

"The girls were good. There was drinking, but they both abstained-" at Jack's instantly cross look she added "I made sure they were telling me the truth." He nodded for her to continue. "The boy Cassandra has a crush on got sick and vomited on her." Jack tried his hardest not to laugh out loud. "Be kind, she's very upset about it still."

"Did you tell her about the time Daniel-"

"No."

"Don't you think it'll make her feel better?"

"He would never forgive me."

"I, on the other hand, don't mind so much if he's pissed off with me."

"Jack" Janet's pleas were interrupted by Haley's entrance.

"Okay I'm ready to go!"

"Did you say goodbye to Cassie?"

"Yes!" Haley put her arms around Janet. "Thanks for having me last night!"

"It was my pleasure," Janet responded. "I'll see you Monday night."

"Monday?" Haley asked.

"Oh, yeah, I've got a mission," Jack told her.

"Thanks for keeping me in the loop," she grumbled. Jack put his arm on her shoulder and spun her around.

"Goodbye Janet, thanks for the hospitality!" he called behind him as they walked out the door.

"Where's the car?"

"Sam dropped me off. We're going to walk home."

"Daddy, I don't know if you noticed, but it's kind of cold out and we don't live that close."

"How are you going to go skiing if you can't stand a little snow? Come on, don't be so lazy."

"Fiiiiine," she let out a huge sigh. For a few minutes they walked in silence. Haley looked her father up and down and her brow began to furrow. "You know, it's not _that_ hard to put the dirty clothes in the hamper and pick a fresh tee shirt out every now and then. People are going to think I live with a slob."

"You're wearing the same clothing as yesterday too."

"Yes, but _I_ slept over at my friend's house. You have no excuse."

"I had a sleepover too," Jack defensively countered. Haley cocked her head to the side for a moment and quickly her face scrunched up in disgust.

"Well it's your turn to do the laundry; I've got reading to do."

"Homework, eh? You actually do that stuff?" Haley giggled.

"It's this weird thing called school. You might have heard of it, I know it was a VERY long time ago that you went. I heard that they had kids write on stone back then." Next thing Haley knew she was shoved into the snow bank. She let out a giant squeal and Jack walked over and extended his hand to her. As he was helping her up a grin crossed his face and he pushed her back into the snow. Haley let out another squeal, and when she got up she jumped on top of her father, knowing he'd fall down. If she was going down, she'd take him down with her.

Once the pair went back to their original path home, Jack decided to question about last night. "I heard Cass had a crappy time."

"Yeah, she's still kind of bummed."

"Did you have a good time?"

"Yup!"

"Crowds of people coming to tell you how much they love you?"

"Of course. Everybody was thrilled to have me around. They adore me," she tossed back her head in a model-like pose.

Jack rolled his eyes. "Was Tommy there among your worshippers? "

Haley suppressed a smile and quietly answered yes. "He apologized to me for being such a jerk."

"And you forgave him?"

"Did I say I forgave him?"

"So you're not back together or anything?"

"Nope."

_Sweet, I was so not ready for her to be dating_.

"I'm going to date around."

_Doh!_ "What? You are way too young to be doing that!"

"Daddy, I'm almost _sixteen_. I'm old enough to make my own decisions." To that Jack just laughed. "I'm serious!"

"Hales, I wasn't thrilled about you seeing this Tommy kid, but I wasn't going to make you break up with him. But this is ridiculous. I'm not going to let you…" he waved his fingers in the air, "run around wild!"

"I'm not running around wild! Why can't you just let me do what I want?"

"Because I said so."

"Because you said so? That makes no sense. At least give me an answer that makes sense."

"I'm really not required to. See, that's the great thing about being a parent, you can make up whatever rules you want," Jack happily replied. Haley started to raise her first to yell when a something came over her. Jack watched as her angry features slowed down and transformed into a look of concentration. Her open mouth slowly shut and he could see her lips twitching, holding back a smile.

"Fine."

"Fine?" his eyes narrowed and he studied her carefully. She nodded. "Fine?" another nod. Nothing felt right about this. If Haley was anything like him she'd yell and fight until she got her way. What could she possibly have up her sleeve? He didn't like this one bit. Not one bit at all. The rest of the walk home they talked about how Haley was starting school on Monday and how excited she was to go back. Jack felt bad that he wouldn't even be around, but the sooner he got these last few missions over with, the sooner he was done traveling off world (for the most part) for good.

xxxxx

Jack was lighting a fire as Haley strolled into the room, changed into dry clothes and wrapped in a blanket. "I'm freezing!"

"Wuss."

"Want to make me some hot chocolate?"

"Not really."

"Oh… fiiiine."

"How are you going to go skiing if you can't stand a little chilliness?"

"Layers," Haley stated as she trudged off to the kitchen, and a few minutes later bounced back into the room. "Wanna see a movie?" Jack thought for a few moments and agreed. "How about… Miss Congeniality?"

"How about no way?"

"Save the Last Dance?" Jack looked at her with a _yeah right_ expression. "Sugar and Spice?" still a funny look. "The Wedding Planner?"

"How about Snatch? I heard some of the guys at work saying it's funny."

Haley tightened her lips into a thin line, and squinted her eyes, pretending to think really hard. "Brad Pitt's in that, right?"

"I think so."

"Okay, just for you. But next time I get to pick, 'kay?"

"Sounds good to me."

The movie worked out pretty well. Both Jack and Haley enjoyed the film (expect Haley was very bummed that she couldn't understand the majority of Brad's dialogue) and it killed a few hours. The two spent the rest of the weekend being lazy, catching up on missed TV shows Jack had taped (mainly The Simpsons), and hanging out playing games. The highlight for Jack was teaching Haley how to play poker. He still refused to let her in on his poker night with the buddies, but he promised that they could have their own family tournament sometime soon. Monday came around somewhat quickly and neither was fully ready at 6:45 am.

"Maybe I don't need to go back to school, after all," Haley moaned as she attempted to make a bowl of cereal. Attempted being the key word, since she was too tired to master opening the plastic bag that held the cereal. Finally Jack grabbed the box from her, opened it, and shoved it back in her hands.

"You're going. You asked for this. I might have considered giving you some time to get reacquainted with being home, but you wanted to be with people your own age."

"What was I thinking?"

"If you're anything like your old man, you probably weren't." Haley made a face, and wolfed down her cereal while Jack went out to warm up the car. Eventually, Haley emerged from the house, books in hand, ready to face her friends. Perhaps she was so tired because she had stayed up late trying to pick out the perfect outfit. Finally she had decided on her favorite jeans and a blue long sleeve shirt speckled with rhinestones. It was comfortable, pretty, and not trying TOO hard to stand out. She wanted to fit in today, slide under the radar of the _where have you been_'s and _what where you doing_'s.

As Jack pulled to a stop in front of Haley's school he felt a slight pang of nervousness. He wasn't sure if he was ready to send her off on her own yet. But there was no use in keeping her locked up. It seemed like the Asgard were done with her… for now. Jack swallowed down his thoughts, and turned towards his daughter. "Go home with Cassie today, you'll stay with her if I get back really late."

"Why can't I stay with Monica?"

"Because it's a school night and trouble usually seems to find you quicker when you and Monica are left together."

Haley rolled her eyes. "Fine, hopefully I'll see you later tonight." She reached over to give her dad a hug.

"Have a great day," Jack said, hugging her back. "Try not to start too much trouble, k?" Haley nodded, and bounced out of the car.

xxxxx

Jack played with his keys as he walked through the garage. As he arrived at the elevator a large smile spread across his face. "I was hoping you'd be here."

"You're going to see me in a half hour anyways."

"Yes but I can't kiss you in a half hour."

"You can't kiss me now either," Sam gently pushed him away, looking around for other people. The elevator arrived, and the two stepped inside.

"Just think, in a few weeks I can kiss you in the elevator, and nobody can stop me," Jack said, a smile creeping across his face. "We could do whatever we want and nobody can stop us."

"Within reason Jack."

"Yes… reason. Funny word." Jack stepped closer to Sam, as she backed into the wall.

"Please, Jack, stop."

"Oh fine," he stepped back a few spaces. "I missed you this weekend."

"I missed you too."

"I can't believe you actually spent the day here yesterday."

"There was a device SG-7 brought back a few weeks ago that I just haven't had the time to study. I had nothing else to do yesterday, so why not come in?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe because you could have relaxed, read a book, come and hung out with me…"

"You were spending time with Haley. I didn't want to intrude."

"Your presence would never be intrusive."

"No, but you two needed some time to be together. Besides I had enough fun Friday to tide me over for the rest of the weekend, didn't you?" Jack smirked and nodded. "I had a good day yesterday, I enjoy what I do."

"I don't think I'll ever truly understand you, will I?"

"Probably not."

"I'm probably going to kick my ass later for asking this, but what kind of device did you find?"

"Well…"

xxxxx

Jack led the briefing for their recovery mission, and soon enough he, Sam, and Teal'c (who had returned last night), SG-3, and SG-15 were on P3X-232. Of course it was raining. Wasn't that always the case in these kinds of situations? Not just a drizzle, but more of a downpour. Jack, Teal'c, Major Carmen, and Lt. Col. Lyle were firing at the few remaining Jaffa while covering Sam, Captain Avery, and Captain Lane. The three scrambled to get all the necessary equipment together while their team held back the Jaffa.

"Carter, how much longer?" Jack shouted over his shoulder.

"Just another minute sir!"

Jack radioed SG-3, "Wade, get the gate open!"

"Okay sir, we're ready," Sam called out as Jack and Teal'c laid cover fire before she could finish the sentence. Carter, Avery, and Lane scrambled from their position, and were quickly surrounded by the rest of their respective teams, ready to run back to the gate. They outnumbered the Jaffa, and soon enough there was nobody left to chase them down. The team still moved at a jog though, and Captain Avery managed to land his foot in a small hole just a few yards from the gate.

_Never a dull moment_ Jack sighed, as he helped the limping Captain down the ramp at the SGC, _never a dull moment_. Carter and Lane made a bee-line for the locker room, before the men hogged it for a few who knew how long. Both were covered in mud and eager to get clean. Before leaving the room, Sam quietly said to Jack "easy breezy, huh?" His reply was simply a shrug.

At the debriefing Hammond announced that SG-1 was needed elsewhere, and they were to ship out immediately. P2X-555 was in need of assistance rescuing a missing community member, and SG-1 was the first team that came to mind due to Teal'c's extensive tracking knowledge.

This took about five hours. Turned out they were looking for the son of one of the community's leaders. He had run off into the woods and never returned. Turned out the kid hadn't managed to get too far, but fell into a pit that was pretty well hidden. The team returned the boy (who Jack was pretty sure had a crush on Sam), and returned home, exhausted. They did bring promises of trading medicines, but Jack wondered if they couldn't have saved the day without SG-1. Hammond sent them home for a good night's sleep. It was only 2100 hours, so Jack opted to pick Haley up from Janet's.

xxxxx

"How was your first day back?"

"Alright," was Haley's short response.

"How were your classes?"

"Okay."

"Did you have homework?"

"Yeah."

"Did you finish it?"

"Uh huh."

"Were your friends happy to see you?"

"Yup."

"What'd you have for dinner?"

"Spaghetti."

"Do anything fun with Cassie?"

"Homework."

Jack sighed, not sure if she was intentionally trying to drive him crazy. The rest of the car ride was relative silence. Haley hummed along to the songs on the radio, while Jack imagined going to sleep. As they walked into the house Jack threw one more question at Haley. "Get into any trouble at school today?"

"Of course," she smiled, and walked upstairs. Jack groaned, and headed off to bed.

The next day was no better. Hammond had them scouting out a moon for a potential research colony. It was a small enough planet that they could cover the surface in just two and a half days, there and back. It was a hassle nonetheless. Jack left Haley instructions to stay with Janet yet again. He promised her that he would repay her somehow down the line. The planet was pretty boring. Nothing too notable. Sam did a few soil readings here and there.

"How's Rya'c doing?" Jack asked Teal'c.

"He is well."

"Drey'auc?"

"She is well too."

"Bra'tac?"

"I did not get to see him on this occasion."

"That's a shame."

"Yes it is."

Jack felt a familiar sense of déjà vu to the night before and decided to just stop talking for a little while.

"Okay I'm done here, we can keep moving," Sam informed them, packing away her supplies.

"So Teal'c, how's your family doing?" Sam asked.

"They are well. Rya'c sends much gratitude for your thoughtful gift."

Sam gave one of her dimpled smiles, that Jack enjoyed looking out for. "I'm glad he liked it. And how is Drey'auc?"

"She seems to have settled very nicely. She has taken up dressmaking as an occupation."

"So the Land of the Light seems to be a good place after all. I know that the last time you visited they were getting somewhat restless."

"I think the people have since won them over."

"Gotta love Tuplo and his gang," Jack added. "Am I the only one who feels like Tuplo is the name of some sort of Lego?"

"That would be Duplo, O'Neill, and Daniel Jackson has corrected you on this numerous times in the past."

"Oh… So has anybody seen Snatch?"

"Nope." "No I have not," were the responses given.

"Oh…"

xxxxx

Two (and a half, as Jack continually pointed out) days later the trio was back at the SGC. With very little to report, except for the soil samples, SG-1 was sent home early. Sam opted to stay and work in her lab, while Jack needed some time to relax. Janet stopped Jack on his way out, telling him she would be working later today, would he mind feeding Cassandra as well? Cassie ended up staying the night at his house, as Janet was held back due to an emergency at the base. Jack was woken up several times by the sound of giggling, until finally he sent the girls to opposite rooms around midnight. He thanked whoever was up there that he did not have two daughters the same age. Jack also had to wonder how Janet kept the girls in line so much better when they were at her house. _Who am I kidding, she's the doc. She's the scariest person I know!_

The next day Jack was greeted with yet another mission to a planet that the SGC had promised supplies to. It was simple enough, just a very long day. _So close to the weekend_ was Jack's mantra the whole day. When he returned home he realized it was Thursday, which meant pizza night.

"Carter."

"It's Thursday."

"Yes," Sam replied.

"You're still at the base working."

"Well I did answer my line here, didn't I?"

"It's Thursday."

"I'm pretty sure we established that already." Jack waited a beat for Sam to add, "OH. I've got a lot of work to take care of here."

"Something tells me that any assigned work has long been taken care of and you're just dealing with the stuff that's making you curious at this point." There was silence on the other end. "You've got a half an hour. That's how long it will be until the pizza gets here."

"Wait, no, this is really important research!"

"It'll still be important tomorrow!" Finally a long sigh was heard.

"Half an hour, but _only_ because I don't break promises."

"_Excellent_."

Jack fell asleep on the couch after dinner while Sam looked over Haley's math homework. She had helped catch her up a little the previous week, and surprisingly she hadn't missed all that much in her nearly two-month-long absence from school. Haley progressively started yawning uncontrollably. She still wasn't used to being up so early, and sitting through school all day. Sam convinced her to go to bed.

Sam tiptoed until her face was an inch from Jack's and whispered, "wake up sleepyhead." She was completely taken off guard when Jack's arms came flying up towards her. He moved fast. Before Sam knew what hit her Jack had pulled her down, flipped her over, and had her pinned down on the couch. Sam laughed into Jack's chest. "I'm exhausted, let's go to bed." Sam wiggled out from underneath Jack, and pulled him off of the couch. "Do I need to carry you?" she questioned.

"Who do I look like, Daniel?" Sam playfully hit him in the arm.

"That is not nice!" Jack just shrugged and started walking towards his room.

"Daniel sent a message back today. There's some kind of amazing light thing on that planet. He requested to stay longer."

"Janet's going to miss him."

"Eh, she'll survive," Jack declared.

"Look who's talking. Once I'm off on missions and you're back on Earth, I bet you'll be pacing the gate room."

"A little cocky there Carter?" Sam gave a winning smile, but her mouth was fool of toothpaste.

"I jssh know how you cahh be."

"Hey watch where you get that toothpaste." Sam rinsed out her mouth and turned around to face Jack.

"You mean… like here?" she took the toothpaste container and dabbed it on Jack's nose.

"If I wasn't so tired I would declare war right now."

"Yeah, yeah."

"How are you so energetic still?"

"Didn't you know, I designed a battery operated power booster for myself."

"You know, that wouldn't surprise me."

Sam hopped into bed waiting for Jack to finish cleaning up and join her. "I need to be up early tomorrow."

"Well I'll be up at 0600 to get the kid off to school on time."

"Actually, I'll be leaving earlier; I need to get back to my lab."

Jack appeared in the doorway from the bathroom, arms crossed. "Sam, is this the same thing you were working on earlier?"

"I left early tonight to be with you, but I need to finish this up."

"When you say need…"

"Jack, I came to be with you tonight, please don't give me a hard time about going in to work early in the morning. Honestly, if you hadn't called I'd probably still be there."

Jack started to fight, but figured it was useless, and climbed into bed. "Will you at least get some relaxation this weekend?"

"First of all, this, right here, is relaxing. But yes. I'll try."

"Good enough," Jack grumbled, and pulled Sam up against him. Hammond had promised him downtime a day early tomorrow if he got all of his paperwork done by noon. He was fairly confident that he could convince Sam to take her time as well. As long as she didn't get Daniel's message to come join him and test out that light thingy.

xxxxx

Please don't forget to review!


	27. Serving of Pie

WOW... I honestly didn't expect to take the entire summer off from writing this story. My sincerest apologies. I ended up working two full-time jobs this summer and I honestly didn't have a moment to breathe, let alone work on my story. I really hope I haven't lost any readers due to this. I'm back at school, and I swear, I'm back on my game. Let me just say, this was one of the hardest chapters to write. It deals directly with an actual episode of the show (The Light), and it took me forever to figure out how to approach this. I didn't want to re-write the entire episode. I ended up keeping one scene in, but the rest works around it. Please let me know what you think, because now that we're back on a timeline, there's a little more rigidity. Until I decide to mix things up again ;) Just let me know. Good, bad, whatever, I want to hear it.

Big thanks to my last reviewers for sending me the most reviews out of any chapter yet! Emerald Green Queen, I love your attention to details! The rhinestone shirt was actually popular back when the story takes place, I took the idea from some of my high school clothes. I'm still working on building up the action.

Whirlwind- I'm actually not sure what the project was. It was something probably too filled technological for me to figure out how to explain :)

Slayerboi- I can promise you that Haley will stumble into something big, soon

Lisa-I-Am- I'm so glad you like the story and I'm flattered that you read it all in one day! I'm sorry you had to wait so long to keep reading, but it's back!

Freckles 101, EmSyd, and Awishaway- thank you all for your reviews. They really mean a lot to me.

AND FINALLY the story :)

xxxxx

Sam let her eyes slowly adjust as she groggily sat up. An arm pushed her back down on the bed, catching Sam by surprise. "It's 4:45, what are you doing up?" she asked Jack.

"Maybe you should be asking yourself that question…" he pointedly replied.

"Jaaack," she moaned, it was too early to fight with him. "I have to get back to the mountain. If I don't finish my calculations on the power supply of the device from P3X-862 early enough it will set me back for the whole day and I may end up working through the weekend."

"By getting there three hours later?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes, because I need to send it off to Dr. Hirsch for analysis after I figure out how the power supply works. He has his own work to take care of and a busy schedule. If I don't get the device to him by 0900 it won't be ready on Monday."

Jack frowned, thinking of a way to keep Sam from leaving. He rolled himself on top of her and said, "Well I order you to wait until Monday to resume work on this power thingy."

Sam shoved Jack off of her and sat up angrily. "You will not give me orders while I'm in your bed!" She stormed off to the bathroom, leaving Jack feeling like an ass.

Jack scrubbed his hand over his face, trying to figure out how to get out of this mess. He followed Sam to the bathroom, but she was already in the shower. "Sam," he said simply, hoping maybe with just the statement of her name she would be able to read his thoughts and immediately forgive him. Oy, he was crap with words. _Okay, keep it simple O'Neill, it can't be _that _hard to do the whole talking thing_. "I'm sorry."

Sam peeked her head out from the shower curtain, "For what?"

Shit! "Um, well, being an ass." She frowned at his poor response and turned back to the water. Jack looked down to his twiddling thumbs for some inspiration. "I was wrong to try and order you around. Really wrong. That was very inappropriate of me."

"Yes. It was."

_And she's still pissed_. "And… I shouldn't have given you such a hard time about working?"

"Is that a question or a statement?" she asked, her back still to him, continuing with her shower.

_Think quickly! Don't screw up!_ "Uh… statement? I mean statement. Yes it was a statement." Sam stuck her head out from the curtains again, trying to read Jack's expression. He looked sincere, she decided.

"Get in here."

"Sam listen to me- wait, what?"

"I said get in here." Sam coyly smiled at Jack's frozen face. Once the words finally registered Jack stripped off his shirt and boxers and jumped into the shower before Sam could change her mind. "I still think you're a jerk," she whispered in his ear while pinning him against the wall. "And you're not fully off the hook."

"Yeah, I figured," Jack shrugged.

"As long as we're clear."

xxxxx

As Jack hopped down the stairs to the control room he grumbled to himself _I _can't _believe she's actually going!_ He decided to keep his frustration with Sam to himself, though, after the little talk they had this morning. Well, it was more like Sam lecturing Jack, and him nodding along. She set a strict set of rules and guidelines for his conduct at work and at home if he wanted to continue on with their relationship. Wasn't the whole point of their being together about _screwing_ the rules?

Jack entered the control room, and handed Lt. Barber Daniel's money. "Barber, when you get there, give this to Daniel, will ya?"

"Sir?" the confused lieutenant asked.

"We had a bet. I lost."

Sam stepped over to see what Jack was up to. "What'd you bet on?"

Jack tried to evade her question. "Sports related," he turned back to Barber, "Just give it to him. He'll know what it means."

Barber was barely paying attention, but managed a "Yes sir."

Sam was still curious. "What sport?"

Damn scientists and their questions. "Hmm?"

Sam was getting frustrated, "What sport did you bet on?"

_Shit!_ "Curling."

Sam looked unconvinced. "Daniel bet on curling?"

_Couldn't just say hockey?_ "Oh yes. His team won the Bonspiel."

"Okay. You don't have to tell me what the bet is, that's fine." Sam really wanted to punch him in the arm, but figured that would look somewhat bad and would fall somewhere on her list of "bad work behavior" that she gave Jack this morning.

Jack could tell she was trying very hard not to scowl. "Good. Have fun." He couldn't help letting his face twist into a smile at how cute Sam was right now. Er, Carter. They were at work. She was Carter! Jack followed _Carter_ into the gate room.

"So Sir," _ahh she broke out the S-word!_ "Are you sure you'd rather take the weekend off than come with me to see this place?"

"Ahh you know I get that way when I work my ass off. In fact, I'd have figured you'd want some time off yourself by now," _but judging by this morning I guess I'm wrong_.

"Oh I do, but Daniel says that of all the…" suddenly a light bulb seemed to flash above her head and she spun around to face him, "That was the bet? Whether or not I'd go? Don't you have anything better to do?" She was so going to make him pay later. Here she worked her butt off all morning to get the power device sent off to Dr. Hirsch's lab on time, and now she had to deal with Jack's aggravating ways. Sam wondered if there was a respectful way to yell at your CO in front of others. At the same time Jack was thinking of a flirtatious response to Sam's question, when Lt. Barber went running into the forming wormhole.

"Barber!" Jack shouted, too late.

"Oh my God!" Sam whispered, in shock. She stood staring at the gate, frozen, until Jack took her shoulders and pushed her out of the room. They had to find Hammond, although a technician had already run off to his office.

"Recall Daniel, and SG-5," Jack ordered Walter.

xxxxx

Jack knocked on Janet's office door. "Come on in Colonel," she said from her desk.

" Hammond wanted me to go over Barber's file with you," Jack sat down, handing over a note with the General's specific instructions.

Janet sighed, and opened up the file she had prepared. "He was in perfect physical and mental health. Lt. Rush told me he seemed a little preoccupied during his post-mission physical today, nothing out of the ordinary. I've seen a lot of distracted officers after their missions. Usually from exhaustion or anxiety to get home. There weren't any real warning signs from the lieutenant."

"Well, like Hammond said, stuff like this usually stays a mystery."

"Unfortunately," Janet agreed.

"Daniel's been taking it pretty hard. He even blew up at Hammond before. If he wasn't a civilian he'd have been thrown in the brig. I nearly kicked his ass."

"He's gone off to his apartment tonight. Wanted some time alone," Janet looked sad. "I tried talking to him, but he repeatedly told me I just didn't understand. He thinks the answers to this lie in whatever happened on the planet."

"Yeah, he wanted to go back tonight, he can be pretty determined." Jack stood up, and took the file Janet had made for him. "I'm going to bring this to Hammond, and then I'm heading home. Are you leaving soon?"

"Probably in a few minutes."

"Have a good weekend, I'll try to bring Daniel back in one piece tomorrow night."

"Goodnight."

xxxxx

As Jack left the general's office he heard a familiar "Sir!" being called down the corridors. "Sir, I was looking for you," Sam told him.

Jack didn't stop walking, but did respond, "Yes Carter?"

"Are you leaving now?"

"Yeah."

She looked around to see if anybody else was in the halls. "Do you want me to come with you?"

"Look Carter, I don't have the patience right now to play this game. We gotta be back here early tomorrow. If you want to work fine, work. I won't try to stop you."

"That's not what I meant!" her voice went up an octave. "I just-"

"Listen, I'm going home before my kid disappears for the night. You know where I'll be." Jack strode off, leaving Sam behind, stunned. She was pretty certain that she had made it clear to Jack she wanted to be with him tonight. She definitely was not in the mood to be alone. She was still very much shaken from Lt. Barber's suicide today. Sam was sure Jack felt the same way. The whole base had become very somber since Barber had plunged himself into the wormhole this morning. The death of a soldier defending the planet was always mourned, but a suicide brought about a whole different mood. There were no comments floating around about how brave a man Barber was, or how he was a hero. People were too uncomfortable to even mention Barber's name, especially those closest to him. His team was in an absolute state of shock. Sam couldn't fathom having to lose a teammate that way.

Sam had already returned to her lab when something Daniel had said a few years ago echoed in her mind. "Jack was ready to blow himself up with all of Abydos when I first met him." She gasped, and felt a surge of nausea.

xxxxx

Jack entered his house, so not in the mood to cook dinner tonight. Maybe he'd give Haley money and let her order whatever take-out she wanted. Instead he was greeted by her anxious face, flushed from running to greet him at the door. "Don't go in the kitchen yet. I'm not ready for you." Jack narrowed his eyes, and leaned his body to the side, every so slightly trying to look out the corners of his eyes towards the kitchen. He wasn't quick enough; Haley shoved him towards the living room, and ordered him to sit on the couch and watch The Simpsons. He couldn't exactly argue with those orders, but he did wonder what she was up to.

"What'd you do?" he suspiciously asked.

"Nothing bad! I promise, you'll be happy, it's a good thing."

Jack sighed. "Hales, I'm not really in the mood for games tonight, so if you could hurry it up." Haley nodded and ran back to the kitchen. A few minutes later she called him in. Jack slowly approached, afraid of what he would find. She had made more spaghetti than he could imagine. There were meatballs, which were half black, and a bowl of sauce was on the table.

"You cooked… for an army."

"Well, I wasn't sure how much spaghetti to make, and one box didn't look like all that much at the time, so I made two!" Jack tried his hardest not to roll his eyes, she looked too proud of herself. Haley knew how to make cookies, brownies, and other assorted baked goods. Actual meals were something new. Jack sat down at the table, and helped himself. Haley watched him carefully as he took a bite out of the meatball. Jack forced a smile onto his face and nodded as he swallowed it down. It wasn't bad… it was just… it tasted like it had been cooked by somebody who never made meatballs before. Not to mention the fact that the tomato sauce hadn't been cooked, and was poured over everything cold.

"So, what do you think?" she waited expectantly for her father's answer, when the doorbell rang.

_Saved by the bell!_ Jack quickly got up and jogged over to the door. He was surprised to see Sam. He had figured she would be working off her stress in the lab tonight. Before he could say anything Sam threw herself into his arms. Her face pressed into his chest, his shirt getting wet from her tears.

"You can't ever think suicide is your only choice. It's not right, it's not right at all," she was murmuring into his chest between sobs.

Jack pushed her away and grasped her shoulders. "Carter get it together! I don't need Haley overhearing you."

"Daddy, what's going on?" Haley appeared in the doorway. "Sam are you alright?" she had never seen Sam so grief stricken and the thought of somebody Haley had seen as so strong looking so weak was quite disturbing. "What's the matter?"

"Go back to the kitchen, we'll be right there," Jack told her. "Everything's fine."

"It doesn't look like everything is fine to me!"

"Haley!" Jack hissed. "Go." Haley started crying herself, and retreated to the kitchen. _Great. Now I've got two crying women to deal with_. He turned his attention back to the one in his arms. "What is wrong with you Sam?"

Sam took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. "I don't want anything to happen to you. I couldn't stop thinking about what Daniel said."

"Today? He wasn't exactly in the right frame of mind t-"

"No! When you met, how you… you know…" Sam gasped again and more tears came flooding.

"C'mere," Jack pulled her into his arms. It was starting to click what Sam was talking about. "I get shot at on a weekly, sometimes daily basis and this is what you're worrying about?" Sam nodded against him. "I thought you're supposed to be a genius." Jack moved them into his office and closed the door. "I'm not going anywhere, I promise." Jack pulled Sam's face up to look at him, "You need to calm down. It's okay, nothing's happening to me."

"Uh huh."

"I know this is breaking one of your rules, but I'm ordering you to believe me. We need to get back to the kitchen before Haley comes to eavesdrop. She doesn't know what you're talking about, and there are some questions I'd prefer unanswered."

"Okay," Sam sniffed. Not very satisfied by Jack's answer, she decided she would try to put herself together for now and have a serious talk with him later. She needed him to know that he was not allowed to put her and everybody who loved him through such grief.

"C'mon let's eat. There's so much food that we're expecting you to eat twice as much tonight," Sam forced out a smile and grabbed Jack's hand as they walked to the kitchen. Haley was waiting at the table, her head buried in her arms, crying quietly. "Look what you started," Jack whispered.

He went over to his daughter and put his hand on her shoulder. "Hey, stop crying, you made a nice dinner and we're going to sit and enjoy it. No tears." Haley gave Jack a dirty look, but obeyed nonetheless. Jack took the contents of his plate and the serving dish and put it in the microwave. "We let it sit too long," he informed Haley. "Do you want me to heat up yours as well?"

"No… that's alright." He watched as she took a few bites of her pasta, and pretended to ponder. "On second thought, I guess it would be alright it I made this a little hotter."

Once everybody was served, they all dug into their dinner. Jack had to admit, it was much more edible having been heated up. The trio ate in relative silence, until Haley could stand it no longer. "So are either of you going to tell me what happened earlier?"

"Nothing," Jack flippantly replied.

"Daddy… c'mon."

"Haley, it's none of your business, and even if it was, there's nothing to talk about." Sam swallowed as she watched the two begin to scuffle. This was undoubtedly her fault.

"You don't ever tell me anything!"

"Maybe because you're just a kid," he made the mistake of saying.

She let out an appalled gasp. "I'm fifteen!"

"Last I checked _fifteen_ was still a kid."

"Last I checked most fifteen year olds aren't genetically engineered and kidnapped by aliens! Last I checked most fifteen year olds don't know about a portal to other planets! Last I checked most fifteen year olds didn't grow up on a top secret military base! Keeping the world's biggest secret... EVER!"

"Haley, just shut it and eat," Jack tersely replied. Sam cringed, as Haley's eyes appeared to bug out. Steam seemed to pour out of her ears, but she didn't respond. Instead she finished her meal without another word and ran off to her room.

Little was spoken between Sam and Jack as they finished eating. They were too uncomfortable to talk about work, and there was very little going on outside of work at the moment, since they had been so busy going on mission after mission. Finally, Sam cautiously addressed Jack regarding his treatment of Haley. "I think you upset her."

"No kidding. You really are a genius."

"I can't help but feel responsible. I'm sorry I came over."

"Don't be sorry, you're always welcome here," Jack quickly stated.

"I think you should apologize to Haley."

"I'd rather not. She was being annoying."

"You sound as mature as she does. We ruined her night." Jack opened his mouth to fight back, but Sam raised her hand, making a stop gesture. "Fine she annoyed you, but you didn't respond properly. Just apologize."

"Will that make you happy?" Jack asked.

"Yes."

Jack let out a long sigh, as he rose to rinse off his dish. He hated apologies, but it was easier apologizing to just Haley right now rather than having to apologize to Sam as well in the long run. He could really use a vacation right about now…

"Daddy," Haley appeared in the doorway, and called to him in a wispy voice. "May I please have some friends over?"

"Friends? How many?"

"Three or four." She looked down and played with the hem of her shirt while expecting to be shot down.

"Three or four?" he grumbled. Sam had come to stand by his side, and placed a hand on his arm. Her eyes met his, and he was pretty sure she was mentally telling him 'you owe her'. "Fine."

"Thank you," Haley ran out of the kitchen before he could change his mind.

"Do I still have to apologize?" Jack asked Sam.

"Yes."

xxx

Jack knocked on Haley's door. She opened it, but was on the phone and motioned to him she'd just be a moment, and closed the door again. Jack stood, fidgeting with his hands while he waited to speak to her royal highness. He heard her hushed voice on the other side of the door. "Yeah, my dad's waiting to talk to me; I'll see you in a few minutes."

A second later the door opened. Haley looked Jack up and down suspiciously. "Yes?"

"I'm sorry wasn't very nice to you at dinner. You worked very hard to make a good meal."

"I did."

"I shouldn't have yelled at you."

"So will you tell me why Sam is so upset?"

Jack's jaw set firmly. "Nope."

"Daddy! I thought you were sorry."

"I'm sorry I yelled at you. Listen, it was a rough day at work, end of story. Do you forgive me or not?" Jack folded his arms, waiting for Haley's reply.

"Fine."

"So who do you have coming over tonight?"

Haley paused as if she was trying to remember all of her friend's names. "Monica, Eric, Erin, and Nick."

"I'm sorry did you say Eric and Nick?" Jack thought maybe he was hearing wrong.

Haley pretended to go over her list again. "Yup."

"Unless those are the nicknames for your friends Eric_a_ and Nic_ole_, you are not having _Eric_ and _Nick_ over."

"Daddy-"

"I do not want boys in your room."

"Well you have Sam over, so I can't exactly use the living room."

"We'll go somewhere else in the house-" Jack paused, somewhat impressed, but more furious with how his daughter changed the subject. "That's beside the point. I do not want you having boys over. Period. End of story."

"They're already all on their way over," Haley's voice was rising in pitch, getting close to that whine territory he hated.

"Well you can just send them home," he resolutely decided. "Monica and Erin can stay."

"NO! Do you want me to look like the biggest loser…EVER?"

Jack sighed, and was about to retort, when Sam's voice interrupted. Neither Haley nor Jack had noticed her ascending the stairs. "What if Haley agrees to keep her door open at all times?"

Haley started to protest, but stopped when she saw Jack starting to contemplate this idea.

"Sam, boys in her room?"

"She's having girls over too, Jack. This isn't a private date in her bedroom." Jack cringed when she said that.

"She's not having them in her room."

"She is right here you know," Haley interjected, but was ignored.

"Why don't we stay upstairs and let them have the living room?"

Jack clenched his fists and practically growled. "Carter, I am not happy about this," and stalked off to his bedroom. "Those boys are out of here by midnight," Jack called out as an afterthought.

"But it's Friday!" Haley called back. Sam put her hand on the girl's shoulder and turned her around.

"Don't try your luck," she whispered.

"Thanks for helping me out," Haley gave Sam a hug, and practically jumped down the stairs to wait for her friends.

xxx

Sam found Jack sitting on the edge of his bed, definitely moping. She suppressed a smile, and sat next to him, hugging her knees to her chest. "She could be sneaking out, you know."

"Don't start with me; I'll start sealing all of the windows up."

"I'm just saying," Sam shrugged. "When I was her age I snuck out a few times. When we lived in California, I had a giant tree right outside my window, I used to climb down it, and meet George Metsky."

"George Metsky?"

"He was a senior," she smiled and poked Jack in the side, "I always had a thing for older men. He'd take me for rides on his motorcycle. One night Mark caught me, and sure enough a week later the branch that rested next to my window had been cut down," Sam sighed.

"Is this supposed to make me feel _better_?"

"I don't know… I guess I'm just trying to tell you that Haley will try and get away with things you'd rather her not. You can do your best to watch over and protect her, but if you smother her she'll just rebel even more."

Jack laid back and put his hands behind his head. "This is only going to get worse, isn't it?"

"Probably," Sam giggled, and leaned over to place a kiss on Jack's lips. She rested her head on his chest, and he could hear the machines running in her brain. "I'd like to talk to you," Sam stated, not looking at Jack, but at the wall instead.

Jack's body stiffened. "What were we just doing?"

"You know what I mean Jack. I need to talk to you, get some things clear."

"Sam…"

"Can't you for just once have a deep conversation without me having to force it out of you?"

"I'm not in the mood to talk about this. Not now, not ever really." Jack gently pushed Sam off of him, and sat up.

"Jack, I love you-"

"If you love me then you'll understand how I feel. Yeah, today was a rough day, but what happened to Barber has nothing to do with us personally. Don't get me wrong, it was a tragedy. I just don't feel the need to talk about this, or my past for that matter."

Sam just lay where she was for a moment, debating what to do or say. She pushed herself up, and pulled Jack's face towards her. "If you ever try to leave me I will find a way to bring you back and kill you myself."

Jack frowned, "Thanks, I think…" he hoped that this was the end of the conversation, leaned back against his headboard, and turned on the TV. Sam suddenly felt very awkward, and played with her fingers as Jack flipped channels. He finally stopped upon discovering a hockey game.

By the end of the second period Sam was feeling bored, so she decided to get something to drink and pop her head in on Haley before Jack beat her to it and embarrassed his daughter. Sam saw three people on the couch. She recognized Monica, who was snuggled up against some guy. The other girl, Erin, was at the far end of the couch, looking bored and trying to watch the movie. Sam cleared her throat a little, and the boy pushed himself away from Monica. "Where's Haley?"

Monica shrugged. "She's outside," Erin answered. Sam wasn't sure what the appropriate action was to take. She didn't want to spy on Haley or rat her out, but she didn't want Jack to discover her doing something she shouldn't and go ballistic. Sam decided that it was best if she just poked her head outside briefly. Nobody was outside; not in front of the house, not in back on the deck. She started to worry that Haley had completely taken off when she remembered there was one place she hadn't yet checked. The roof. Sam quietly approached the ladder, when she heard Haley's voice chatting away. She breathed a sigh of relief. Talking was better than… when did she become her father? Sam shuddered, and re-entered the house.

"How are the kids?" Jack asked, as Sam sat down next to him.

"Fine." Jack seemed satisfied enough and returned to watching the game. Sam just couldn't get into the game, and ended up falling asleep. She woke up a little while later at 2359 hours to see Jack heading downstairs. She quickly followed behind. Both were pretty surprised to see all three girls sitting on the couch together and the two guys on the opposite couch.

"Haley," Jack made eye-contact with her and nodded towards the door.

"The guys are just waiting of Eric's sister to come and pick them up. You can go back upstairs if you want to go to bed," Haley gave a sweet smile, the one that Jack never trusted.

"That's alright, I'm going to be in the kitchen." Jack pointed his thumb over his shoulder, "Getting… food. In the kitchen. That's where I'll be." Sam suppressed a laugh as she followed Jack in the kitchen. Jack leaned over the counter towards Sam. "I don't trust them," he whispered. "If she's anything like me- and I think we both know she is- then she is automatically up to **no good**." Sam just rolled her eyes and helped herself to a bottle of water.

A few minutes later Jack heard the kids leaving the house, and sounds of car doors opening and closing. "Ah, I can finally go to bed," Jack announced, stretching out his arms.

"I'll be right there," Sam said, leaving him to find Haley.

Sam found Haley cleaning up the bags of junk food and sodas that littered the floor. "Hey Sam, what's up?"

Sam swallowed, not sure what to say at first. "Listen, Hale, I heard you outside before. I wasn't spying on you, I just wanted to make sure you hadn't left the house-"

"I wouldn't leave!"

"Hale, I just want you to realize that it could've been your dad. And if he's anything like my father was when I was growing up… just be happy he didn't find you. I'm not always going to be here to cover for you."

"So are you telling me to cut it out or be more careful?" Haley grinned.

"I'm going to bed. We have a mission tomorrow," Sam smiled, and patted Haley's arm as she left the room.

"Goodnight Sam!" Haley shouted after her.

xxxxx

The next day was hell. Jack had barely saved Daniel's life. Twice. He never thought he'd have to pull his friend off the edge of a balcony. Daniel was supposed to be the mentally stable one. Of course, he was the one who always seemed to be affected first by whatever crazy ailment came across SG-1. He certainly died the most. At least it was just the effects of the drug. Jack had to keep telling himself that. And now he, too, was addicted to the same drug. They all were. And they were stuck here. Well, everybody but Teal'c. Who actually offered to stay with Haley. For nearly a whole month. Nobody could ever say Teal'c wasn't brave.

Sam, Jack, Daniel, and the boy, Lorne had followed Teal'c to the gate. "The doc is going to kill me; Haley's not exactly going through what you'd call an 'easy' phase right now."

"Janet's very understanding Jack," Daniel said just as much to Jack as he did himself. The pressure he had put on Janet in the past twenty-four hours had been terrible. First he had snapped at her multiple times and stormed off to his apartment, and then he nearly died. She had saved his life yet another time. Sam had repeatedly been telling him that it wasn't his fault, but the guilt was still there.

"I will look after Haley O'Neill," Teal'c volunteered.

"T, that's very generous, but you don't have to do that."

"It would be my pleasure, O'Neill. Surely, if I can, as you say 'deal with you' your offspring will be a serving of pie."

"Piece of cake." Teal'c bowed his head in response.

So now, Jack was left wondering just how big of a piece of cake his daughter was with Teal'c while he was practically on vacation. Hardly the vacation he had planned for himself, but it would do.

"Jack!" Daniel entered the room waving an envelope. "The SGC just sent through supplies for this week. General Hammond sent this letter through for you along with a box." Jack took the envelope and ripped out the letter.

"D'oh!"

"What is it?"

" Hammond wants me to catch up on my paperwork."


	28. Not in a recreational capacity

I feel myself constantly apologizing for the delay of the updates. Last semester I was traveling home a good chunk of the weekends- my family needed me, and I barely had time for schoolwork, let alone the pleasures of writing things non-school related.

Another one of the reasons that I've been so lacking in the updates department is my insane school schedule. Last semester I took a creative writing course, and if anybody is interested in reading my latest short story I've posted it on my new blog (for an AWESOME class I'm taking this semester)- magsters...blogspot...com (yeah they don't let me put actual links in, so I put the extra .'s in so it'll show up). You'll find the story as the first entry, I'm pretty proud of the story, and because of it my teacher wanted me to enter the MFA program. I don't know if I see _that_ happening, but it was pretty flattering.

Reviewers: EmSyd, Freckles- thanks for the encouragement!, awishaway- thank you!, Kirk4Ever- no I made up the paperwork part, Whirlwind- thanks!, Booster- Thanks for the help with the spacing! I've been trying to figure that out for SO long now. When I have the time I plan on updating all my chapters with that. I'm glad you find Haley realistic, as somebody who is not that far out of her teens I just try to look back and channel all that old angst into the writing. I'm glad it comes across realistically. Emerald Green Queen- I love your reviews. Period. End of story :)

* * *

Sam was embarrassed. Since her little fiasco on the beach she had tried to remain detached, and as professional as possible. Jack was acting like nothing had happened. He was a little preoccupied, though. General Hammond wanted to speak to him, so he was out of her hair for a while. Sam attempted to concentrate on the readings on the device, but the events of earlier kept popping into her mind.

"I guess the reality that we're never going home is setting in."

Trying to stay optimistic, Jack replied, "Oh Hammond'll keep us supplied with everything we'll need until we can figure this out… it's a nice beach."

"It'd be a good excuse for you."

"Huh?"

"To do nothing for a while."

Jack almost had to scrub his fists over his eyes for a moment. There was no way Carter said what he thought she said. "What?"

"Forget it."

"That would be forget it _sir_."

"Oh please, you think I'm keeping that up if we're stuck here forever?"

"Listen Major-"

"-No way!"

Confusion gave way to anger for Jack. "That's no way COLONEL."

Sam was so frustrated she was stuttering. "Wha..., I'm supposed to accept that. That's the way it's gonna be?"

"That's the way it is."

"What difference does it make? It's not up to you," Jack grabbed Sam by her vest and pulled her up to his face.

In response, Sam grabbed Jack's vest as he continued to yell. "Carter! You're in withdrawal."

Sam's voice rose even louder. It was the first time she had really yelled at Jack like this, both personally and professionally. "Oh I'm in withdrawal?!"

"Yes," realization dawned on Jack, "so am I." The two stared at each other for a long moment, as they caught their breath. They were interrupted by Teal'c's calls.

"Sir… I'm so… I'm really sorry," Sam practically whispered. She was mortified by her behavior.

"_Sam_," he emphasized her name, neither had let go of the other's vest yet, but Sam's grip was loosening, "it's the withdrawal. We both know how rough that can be." Jack pulled Sam a little closer and kissed her on the forehead. "It's going to be alright, we're going to get out of here."

"That's just it…," Sam sighed, "I have no idea how to solve the problem. We could be stuck here for the rest of our lives. I guess my dad would be okay to visit because of Selmak and everything, but I'd never see my brother and his kids again, we'll never see Janet or Cassie, and you'd never see-"

A dark shadow was cast over Jack's face, "CARTER, we're going to get off this planet. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but _soon_. You can't think any other way." Jack let go of Sam, and walked in the direction of Teal'c's calls.

Sam continued taking readings of the device, trying to figure out the safest increments to cut down the chemicals. Her estimate of two to three weeks was looking more like a solid three, closer to four weeks to give the team a bit of a softer weaning. One week wouldn't make that big of a difference to the General, and it would keep the spirits of everybody much higher. Nobody wanted to be stuck together and in a grouchy mood.

Jack had been right when he insisted to Sam that they would get off this planet. There was no other option for him, he had somebody waiting for him at home, relying on him. Sure, Haley wasn't a child, but she was still too young to be on her own. Not coming home wasn't an option for Jack. Sam wasn't so sure she'd possess the same faith if the situation were reversed. She thought too scientifically, her mind full of probabilities. Janet was a scientist, though, and she seemed to define grace under pressure. _It's how she works best_. Sam decided that she was not all that different from Jack, because she too bottled her emotions, just in a much healthier fashion. Sam was amazed by the way Janet was able to hold her head up high while treating Daniel after his suicide attempt. According to Jack, she even kept her cool when he started crashing. Sam returned her concentration to the device in front of her. The sooner she figured this all out, the sooner she would be back on Earth, and she could see her friend and talk to her.

* * *

"While on P4X-347 we were inadvertently exposed to an addictive substance."

"They did drugs?"

"Not in a recreational capacity. There was a machine that emitted an addictive chemical. I was unaffected, but O'Neill, Major Carter, and Daniel Jackson must remain on the planet for three weeks while the effects wear off. I am to care for you in that time."

"You are? Why?" Haley paused, realizing what she had just said. "Oh my God Teal'c, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for that to sound nasty. I just meant usually Janet takes care of me, I'm just surprised."

"Though capable, Dr. Frasier is very busy. I am on stand-down, ordered to watch you, as O'Neill said, as if you were my own."

"What else did he tell you?" Haley questioned.

"You are not to socialize with any males while he is away."

"You're kidding, right?" Haley frantically asked.

"No I am not."

"For nearly a month?! That's ridiculous! My dad can't just make stupid rules like that. Teal'c, he didn't know what he was talking about, he's on drugs for crying out loud!" Haley ranted while pacing back and forth, wildly waving her arms. "Can I talk to him?"

"No, you cannot."

"Why?"

"You are not authorized to visit the SGC without O'Neill present."

"This is ridiculous!" Haley huffed, and attempted to stare down Teal'c. It was a battle she quickly lost. Haley let out another large sigh, and quickly turned on the pouty face. "Teal'c," she said in her sweetest voice, "can't you just talk to General Hammond? Or better yet, I'll talk to him." Haley jumped up to grab the phone.

"I do not think that is wise. General Hammond has more pressing matters to deal with at this moment." Haley didn't know about the entire loss of SG-5, and Daniel's near fatal experience. Nor did she ever need to know.

"Nah, he loves me, T. When he says yes we can drive to the base so I can talk to my dad. You can't seriously expect me to not say a word to my dad, for THREE WEEKS?" Haley's lip quivered, "_I didn't even get to say goodbye…_" Tears began falling down her face, and Teal'c wrapped his arms around her, in an attempt at comfort. Haley gently pushed herself out of Teal'c's hug, and reached for the phone. "Just let me call the General."

Teal'c knew there was no stopping the girl, and nowhere in O'Neill's instructions had he mentioned that Haley was to stay away from the base and refrain from contacting him. Before he could respond, Haley was already connected to the base and asking for General Hammond.

"General Hammond, I need to talk to you in person. I know you're very busy… You're right, I probably don't know how to take no for an answer… Yes… Yes… No I haven't started it yet… I understand… Would you like to speak to him?" Haley handed the phone to Teal'c, who was then instructed to bring Haley to the base- after her homework was finished.

* * *

Haley was shown into General Hammond's office by an airman. "Haley, it's good to see you again," George smiled, and held out his arms for a hug.

"General Hammond!" Off-base he was practically a surrogate Grandfather, but Haley was very careful about being respectful while at the SGC. He did run the whole place, after all. The General motioned for Haley to have a seat. "Sir," Haley said, trying to sound very official, "I am putting in an official request to speak to my father." She raised her chin a bit, and widened her eyes, waiting to see how Hammond responded.

George sighed, knowing there wasn't anything he could say to change her mind. How could he refuse the girl of speaking with her father for the last time in several weeks? Not to mention the fact that if he said no Haley would probably never give up. "Your request is granted. Why don't you wait here while I have Walter dial up your father?"

"Thank you!" Haley squealed, and then added, "Sir. I will sit right here."

Haley had touched just about everything in Hammond's office, and was starting to get extremely bored by the time an airman summoned her to the control room. The sight of the active Stargate still managed to fascinate her. She wanted to swim in it. Sam had tried telling her how utterly impossible that was, but it didn't stop Haley's fantasies.

"Miss O'Neill, we have your father standing by," an airman addressed her, causing Haley to snap out of her haze.

"Oh, yes, thank you." Haley stepped over to chair the airman had pulled out for her, and took a seat in front of the screen. She looked at her father's face and started to wave, before realizing that he couldn't see her. "Hi Daddy."

"Hales."

"What happened? Teal'c told me you're on drugs."

"I did no such thing," was heard in the background of the control room.

"Well, not exactly. There was some machine thingy that put some kind of drug into the air. We became addicted to the planet within minutes."

"Are you stuck there?!" Haley gasped.

"Just for a few weeks. Carter's figured out how to turn the thing off in increments."

"Is it nice there at least?"

"Well… there's a beach…"

"So it's like… you're on vacation?"

"Well I wouldn't call it that-"

"You're on vacation! That is SO unfair!" Haley looked around and realized there were several eyes on her. She lowered her voice, "I guess when you get back you'll have to take me away somewhere." Jack just chuckled. "Heyyy."

"Listen, I want you to be good for T. He's doing us both a big favor." Haley nodded. "Haley?"

"Oh sorry, I forgot you can't see me. I'm nodding my head," she giggled.

"Right," Jack's tough façade broke for a moment as he allowed a quick smile.

"Umm… Daddy, Teal'c said something about you not wanting me to go out with my friends?" Haley wrung her hands, worried that she would not get the response she wanted. She so did not want to have to throw a fit in the control room.

"No you can hang out with your girl friends," Jack's face stayed neutral. If he was bluffing, he was doing a good job of it.

"Okay great, and my guy friends too, I already have plans for next weekend."

"Well, you'll just have to explain that your father is unexpectedly out of town, and you're unable to go out with them."

"Daddy," Haley whispered, trying not to draw too much attention. "It's bad enough that you've left me for a _month_," her voice rose at the last word, "but now you're going to keep me away from my friends? Please don't do this to me."

Jack sighed. "Fine Hales, I think we can work something out. I'll write up a list of rules for you and Teal'c to see, and I'll send it through with the next transfer tomorrow."

"What about tonight?" she was taking a chance; she had a feeling her father's patience was being tested at this point.

"You have to be back by 1000 hours or Teal'c will come hunting you down."

"Ten o'clock? How about midnight?"

"1030 hours."

"11:30?"

"1100 hours, take it or leave it."

"Taking it. Thank you." Haley smiled widely, and once again realized that she could not be seen. "So a month…"

"Yeah, it sucks, I'm really sorry that this had to happen."

"I'm going to miss you. Will you even remember what I look like by the time you're back?" Haley's nose started itching, a sure sign she was near tears.

"Haley I'm gone for a few weeks, not a few years. And I have your picture," Jack fished around in his pocket and held up a picture taken of himself and Haley.

"I'll miss you."

"You said that already. I'll miss you too."

"I guess I should let you go get back to whatever you were doing. Have fun."

"Yeah, fun," Jack grumbled. "Be good. I'm serious."

"I'm always good," Haley chirped.

"Yeah, I bet. Let me talk to T for a minute, you can go wait in the conference room or something."

"Okay, bye, I love you."

"Love you too." Haley felt the tears prickling at her eyes and ran up the stairs to the conference room. She was pretty worried about what the next few weeks would bring. Not that she didn't enjoy spending time with Teal'c, but there was no way this could lead to anything good for her social life…

* * *

Yes, I know it's short, but I wanted to get this chapter out before you even forgot what the heck is going on in the story. Please review! They make my day sunnier :)


	29. Mudmasks and pedicures

To all my reviewers, messagers, constant readers, thanks for being so patient. I cannot believe it's been a year since I've updated! It doesn't feel like that long, time has flown by and I've attempted to work on the story all the time. I put myself into a corner where I worried that I stopped the action by focusing too much on one episode, but I feel like I'm out of that rut now and ready to bring more stories to everybody reading. The characters have been bouncing around in my head for far too long. It's been a long, rough year full of great things (studying in France for the summer) and a great personal loss. I'm hoping getting back into writing will help me back to finding myself and getting the creative juices flowing again. Thanks for sticking around readers!!

* * *

Haley bounced into the kitchen, starving for food. As an energetic teen who could hardly sit still Haley managed to work up quite the appetite. "What's for dinner T?" she asked, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet.

"I have prepared something special this evening," Teal'c stated, as he piled food onto a plate. "It is a traditional dish from Chulak."

Haley tentatively took the plate from Teal'c and sat down at the table. Whatever it was smelled similar to asparagus, her least favorite vegetable. Her father had told her to be good to Teal'c, and dissing his food on their first night together was not a very good way of following that request. What the hell, Daniel said eating food from another culture can help you learn more about their ways. You can do this O'Neill. You're learning. Teal'c sat across from Haley and watched her expectantly. Haley took a deep breath and shoved a forkful of whatever the heck this was into her mouth. Haley tried to hide the disgust from her face, and quickly swallowed what was in her mouth. What did this teach her about Chulak? They have no taste buds? Non-existent gag reflexes? _Grumble_. Iron stomachs?

"Is the food not to your liking?" Teal'c questioned. Haley couldn't lie to him. It's not that she didn't want to; she just couldn't make anything up on the spot to compliment what she just ate.

"It was… uhhh… I'm just not used to…"

Teal'c stood from his chair, and pulled another dish out of the oven. It was a baked ziti that Janet had sent Haley home with earlier in the week. "O'Neill said you had a delicate appetite. He, too, does not appreciate the cuisine of Chulak." Haley stood up and helped herself to the pasta.

"Yeah, we're just not very worldly, or um, I guess universely? Is that even a word?" Haley giggled.

"And yet O'Neill is currently on another world as we speak."

Haley looked sad for a moment, and Teal'c wondered if he had chosen the wrong thing to say, but then Haley burst into a fit of giggles. "And I'm not even _from_ this world! _Sort of…_" More giggles. "What's wrong with us?!" Haley later wondered if Teal'c had been playing a joke on Haley when he handed her his food. He never made himself any Chulak food for the rest of his stay, so she was pretty convinced, looking back on that night, that he was playing a prank all along.

"…so then Grayson said that she was never mad at Anna, it was just a whole big misunderstanding!" Haley chirped.

"I see," Teal'c replied. I see that it took thirty minutes to tell a story about a misunderstanding.

"Well so now that they're all like BFF again they're having a joint sweet sixteen after all! It's in two weeks," she wiggled two fingers in the air, "and now I need to find a fancier dress than the one I already have!"

"I see," but this time Teal'c wasn't sure if he saw. He saw wheels turning at least.

"Are you sure you don't want an actual color?" Haley grinned up at Teal'c as she applied the clear nail polish to his last toe.

"No thank you, the clear is good."

Haley closed the bottle, and put her feet in front of Teal'c. "Okay! It's my turn!" she handed Teal'c the nail polish, and continued to chat about possible locations for this perfect dress she was seeking. "This is so much fun! My dad _never_ agrees to do this with me. He can be kind of lame sometimes." Haley looked around, as if somebody could be watching, and lowered her voice. "Daniel let me put pink on his toes once. I told him nobody would see…" Haley started giggling, and then regained her composure a little, "but the next day he twisted his ankle off world, and the nurse took off his shoe and sock! And well, you know how the nurses gossip, so it got ALLL over the base. Some of the marines started calling him pinky," Haley started giggling again.

"I believe I recall that incident. He was not very pleased." If by not very pleased Teal'c meant Daniel had been heard cursing doing Jack O'Neill favors by watching his mischievous daughter and stomping on his already swollen ankle and having to go _back_ to the infirmary, then he had not been very pleased. Not to mention the fact that upon his second visit a week later the nurses discovered he had still not removed the nail polish.

"Were you hoping to do the same thing to me Haley O'Neill?" Teal'c questioned.

Haley looked up at Teal'c with big brown innocent eyes. "Everybody knows you don't get hurt T. The nurses would never get to see your toes!" Teal'c finished painting Haley's toes. "Nice job! I just _knew_ you'd be good at it, don't ask me why. Want to do face masks now? It's very refreshing!"

"I would like that," Teal'c agreed. "But you may not attempt to take pictures this time."

* * *

It had been a week and Jack felt like he had barely made a dent in his paperwork. Daniel had kept himself busy taking in every minute detail of the castle, while Loran shadowed him and started taking his own notes. Carter seemed to be going out of her mind with boredom. She didn't want to mess with the Goa'uld device too much, just in case she ended up lengthening their stay on this lovely planet. She tended to wander around the beach, as far as her body would let her go without feeling massive withdrawal symptoms. Carter had even started mapping out how far away they could safely travel before feeling sick. Jack would sometimes procrastinate and join her, for the sake of studying the land. Not to spend time with her or anything. Nah, not a bit. In exchange for letting Carter talk about various technologies (to keep her brain going, Jack figured), she would occasionally assist him with his paperwork. His favorite spot was on a giant marble table in what was once probably the main dining room. The chairs were comfortable, and he could spread his papers across the table with plenty of room left.

"Here you go sir, you can add this report to the finished pile," Sam handed him a folder.

"Listen, we're on day nine of our little luxury getaway, maybe you can drop the 'sir's'? It's just us and Daniel. And now that General Hammond's sent word that they've definitely located Loran's home planet, I'm pretty sure he won't be sticking around to reveal to all of Earth our relationship."

Sam bit her bottom lip, but didn't respond. Instead she picked up another folder and started going through its contents. "You need to sign here," she passed the paper to him.

"And just what am I signing away this time? My body? My soul? My cabin?"

Sam stifled a smile, "you have been and plan on using the base gym in the future. It's to update the facilities."

"And tell me again what this paperwork has to do with me?"

"All the team leaders are being asked to write personal assessments to make sure the budget is being used properly."

"And how much of the budget is being spent on wasted paper products?" Jack quipped. Sam stared at him for a moment, looking lost in her thoughts, but determined. "Carter… you there?"

"I don't pine away for you," was Sam's non-sequitur response. Naturally Jack was somewhat confused, but most of the things Carter said confused him, so this wasn't anything brand new.

"Gee, thanks"

"No, what I mean is that I don't want you to think that I've just been pining away for you, my CO, for all this time. It sounds kind of pathetic if you think about it."

Jack just stared at her in utter confusion.

"I don't want to be known as the woman who falls for her CO."

"Well, I'm pretty sure we've been kinda discreet, but even if the whole base knew you would always be first and foremost known for your brains. You're like… ahh…" Jack struggled to find the right words, "food."

Sam gaped at him for a moment, and he looked somewhat surprised himself. "We love to eat, but what we know mostly about food is that it's needed to survive. What I'm trying to say is… The SGC loves you, but when it comes down to the end of the world and all the savings of the day, the SGC values you because you keep us alive, and you keep us going. Without your _awesome_ genius…ness, we'd never survive.

"Besides being quite possibly the smartest human alive, and not falling for your CO, what do you want to be known as?"

At this point Sam was blushing profusely. While Jack wasn't the most eloquent of speakers, his point was touching. "The woman who fell for her best friend- BUT," she quickly added, "remained her own strong person."

"Who occasionally saves the world from time to time?" Jack added.

Sam ducked her head, still blushing. "I sound pathetic, don't I? I really don't want to sound pathetic!"

Jack reached out and pushed her chin up so she could look him in the eyes. "Sam, I don't think pathetic is even in your genetic makeup." Jack stood up, and reached for Sam's arm to pull her out of her chair. "C'mon, let's get some fresh air."

"I know this great sand dune that's within our safe area." Sam surprised Jack by giving him a kiss before leading him outside.

"I always was a sucker for long walks on the beach…"

* * *

Haley knocked on the door to Teal'c's room, nervous that she was interrupting his meditation session. She had actually joined him a few times, but quit after the embarrassing incident when she fell asleep. In her defense it had been a long day. She fell into a deep sleep, too, because Teal'c had managed to move her into her room without waking her at all. At the sound of Teal'c's deep voice inviting her in, Haley took a few slow steps past the doorway. "T, would you mind if I went to Janet's tonight?"

"Of course not. Do you need a ride?"

"Yeah, I was hoping to go in a few minutes."

"Will you and Cassandra Frasier be having a girls night?"

Haley's lips quirked up in a sideways smile at Teal'c's use of "girls night." Certain phrases just sounded funny out of his mouth. "No Cassie's actually not coming home til later. I just…" Haley wasn't sure how to tell Teal'c that she needed warmer company. It wasn't that Teal'c wasn't friendly to be around, but Haley didn't see herself snuggling up next to him while watching a movie; or Teal'c knowing instinctively to hug her after a particularly terrible day, which she had had.

Teal'c seemed to understand immediately. "You need not say anymore. I will retrieve my shoes and we can leave."

Haley had broken down a few days earlier, and it was the first time Teal'c had experienced this with her on his own. When she arrived home from school Teal'c asked how her day went. At first Haley smiled, and suddenly her expression froze and tears started pouring down her face.

"In one of my classes we're reading this book that's supposed to be about baseball, but it's actually about a girl and her father, and it made me really…" her voice went up about five octaves, "I really miss my dad!" Haley then started sobbing and anything that came out of her mouth at that point was too high pitched for Teal'c to understand. He had given Haley a big hug, but he wasn't used to blubbering fifteen year old girls. It was the first time Haley had seen Teal'c look remotely anxious.

"I know that your father misses you greatly as well. It is not easy to be separated from your child, but you will soon be reunited. Often, time can move very swiftly." Haley then started thinking about Teal'c and his family, and cried for how hard it must be for him to be so far away. He thanked her for her empathy, but told her not to worry on his behalf. He was a very strong warrior.

Haley pulled on her favorite sweatshirt, which was also her warmest, emblazoned with "US Air Force" across the front. Her dad had to fill out "too much paperwork" to procure a women's extra small hoodie. She really missed him. Sure, Teal'c was great, but he wasn't her father.

* * *

Haley was seated in Janet's kitchen struggling with her biology homework. Luckily the doctor was well acquainted with this subject and was able to give her some help. She sat down next to Haley placing a plate of cookies next to her.

"Did you make these?" Haley asked, enjoying the treat.

"That depends, how are they?" Janet smiled.

"Pretty, pretty good!"

"As much as I'd like to take credit, I got them from the new bakery on the way home from the mountain." Janet tried one herself and was satisfied with the results. "I haven't had much time the past few days to make anything myself."

Guilt washed over Haley as she worried that she was taking up Janet's time. Janet must have sensed this because she quickly reassured Haley that she was glad to have her. "You know I love when you come over!"

Just as Jack had become a father-like figure to Cassie years before Daniel stepped into Janet's life, Janet filled a maternal role for Haley. When she wasn't bogged down at the mountain herself, Janet would keep an eye on Haley when Jack was off world. She tried to have her over for dinner on a fairly regular basis, and do "girly" things with her that Jack usually avoided at all costs.

"How's living with Teal'c?" Janet questioned.

"Pretty good, he takes good care of me. I'm a little nervous about going out this weekend, I'm not sure how strict he is yet." Haley casually looked over her nails as she mentioned her plans to Janet with a shrug.

"Maybe you could stay in and watch a movie instead?" Janet suggested, only to be responded to with a chuckle.

"Stay in! I've already made previous commitments."

"Well, Miss Butterfly, just make sure you don't get into too much trouble. You don't want Teal'c coming after you… or any of your _friends_." Janet imagined Teal'c lifting up a scrawny high school boy and tossing him across the room. She and Haley both shuddered.

"I'll be good, because if I'm bad the next few weeks probably won't all be mud-masks and pedicures…"

Janet wasn't sure if she wanted to know what Haley was referring to, and returned to looking at Haley's bio notes.

* * *

Week two was coming to a close, and had been much easier than week one. The withdrawal symptoms were not too noticeable due to the small increments in lowering the machine. Daniel had explored more of the castle with his new shadow, Loran, and found actual bedrooms for everybody. Jack would stealthily sneak into Sam's room as soon as the sound of Daniel's snores began every night. The amount of dust in the castle had been causing his allergies to flare up, and he sneezed almost as much as he had been sneezing before Janet got him on antihistamines way back when.

Jack wasn't sure why Sam felt it was necessary to keep up their professional façade in front of Daniel, but he could understand her reservations around the boy. Sam had actually loosened up a bit. She saw no harm in referring to Jack by name rather than Colonel or Sir since Loran didn't know any better. A small smile would sometimes cross Daniel's face when Sam would use Jack's name mid-conversation.

Sam was staring at the stars through the window when the door creaked open and then closed. Jack's shadowed figure crept into bed, and she was soon engulfed by his arms.

"You could get used to this kind of place, even with the backlog of paperwork."

"Mmmhmm," Sam rolled over and placed her head on his chest.

"You miss your doohickeys, don't you?"

"Maybe just a little."

"Yeah, sure, you can't wait to go running back to your lab and tell each and every instrument of yours how much you missed it and that you'll never leave them again."

Sam giggled, "maybe just a few of them. You're telling me that you're perfectly content staying here forever?"

"We've got a castle on the beach, what more do we need?"

"How about your daughter?"

"She'll come too."

"Oh, will you be taking her out of school in this reality?"

"Don't be silly Carter, Daniel and you will teach her."

"Daniel's staying too?"

"Of course, the whole team will be here."

"What about Janet?"

"Of course! And Cassie. Haley would need a friend."

"So the SGC has just lost its frontline team. No more defending the galaxy from false gods."

"Yep, I think they'd get by without us. They might need your expertise from time to time, and probably Danny's but I think we'd be alright."

"And you think Teal'c would just give up the fight?"

"He's been fighting longer than you and I have been alive. The big guy needs a break."

"No more Simpsons, no more hockey, no more pizza…"

Jack stilled, "maybe we can just come back here on vacations."

"Or we could just go away somewhere on Earth like a normal couple."

"But where on Earth can we stay in our own castle? Unless you're keeping a secret from me and you're really a princess or some other form of nobility, which would not surprise me as much as you'd think it would."

"While I do still have a few tricks up my sleeve you've yet to see, mister, I can promise you that I don't have access to any castles on Earth."

"So… normal vacations for us on Earth only. This place at least screams secluded honeymoon location."

Sam stilled against Jack and wondered if he realized what he had said. He, too, was trying to gauge her reaction. A small grin appeared to be fighting its way onto her face, and Jack noticed that she was trying to read his expression before showing her own. Jack just gave her one of his cocky smiles and propped his body up against his pillow.

"Is there something you want to ask me _Colonel_?"

"Not at the moment, wouldn't be financially prudent." Sam raised an eyebrow, which Jack completely ignored. "When am I going to get to see some of those tricks up your sleeve?"

"That would be classified information sir," Sam held her pointer finger to her lips as he raised his eyebrows.

"Well," Jack leaned over Sam and pinned down her arms, "I hope you're ready for some torture, Major..."

* * *


End file.
